


The Boy & the Girl Who Lived

by Watermelonsmellinfellon



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Boy (2016 Bell)
Genre: Allusions to Mafia-like Actions, Bisexual Harry Potter, Brahms gets help, Brahms thinks some creepy stuff, F/M, Fem!Harry, Female Harry Potter, Genderfluid Teddy Lupin, Harry Potter Has a Saving People Thing, Harry was born in 1990, I'm taking liberties with The Boy and info not specified, Maturity, Mentions of Murder, Messed up Backstories, Obsessive Behavior, Possessive Behavior, attempted child murder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2020-05-15 05:28:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 25,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19289095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Watermelonsmellinfellon/pseuds/Watermelonsmellinfellon
Summary: Hariel Potter, under the name Harry Evans, is Brahms Heelshire's newest nanny. He comes to learn that she and her godson are something new that he's never encountered before, and that being a man is far better than being a boy.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> -So I watched The Boy because I saw it on Netflix and was curious. I didn't find it to be scary at all. Though the plot was curious and I immediately thought up a HP crossover. And that reminded me of an Ask I got on Tumblr a while back asking for a Tomarry The Boy AU and while I will get to that eventually, this came to mind first.
> 
> -There are 9+ chapters written ahead of time already. Responses will let me know how to proceed.
> 
> -Harry is a girl and Bisexual. Teddy is GenderFluid. Now, I always took the Metamorph thing as being able to change gender or just any parts of the body at will. Like maybe they aren't born with a set form and it changes constantly as they grow and be emotional. So I like the idea of Teddy just cycling through every possible thing and not caring about gender norms. Eventually that'll come into play.
> 
> -Rating may change.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/).**

* * *

**~.O.~**

* * *

Harry adjusted her new glasses as she stared up at the large manor she was about to start working in. The wire frames slid back into place easily, framing her bright green eyes with long and thin rectangles that looked far better than her old glasses. The fact that people let her go that long with such ugly glasses, all because they wanted her to look like James, was bloody ridiculous. The obsession with James Potter was annoying.

On her hip was her godson Teddy, who was turning eight soon. After the war, Harry had tried to help Andromeda as much as she could in raising the boy since the Malfoys wanted nothing to do with him. Without her husband and daughter, Andy had lost her presence. According to some, she was just less joyful and almost seemed vacant most of the time.

It was a lot to take in. To lose your only family who still accepted you, to a pointless war, was a tragedy. Harry didn't blame her in the least.

Lately, she'd been slowing down a lot more, the House Elves taking on more and more responsibilities in regards to Teddy. It became very obvious that Andy was headed for her deathbed sometime soon, so Teddy came to live with Harry permanently. It was best if he wasn't around when she finally passed. Less of a chance of him finding a body this way. He didn't need to deal with that sort of trauma.

Harry hadn't been jumping to live in Grimmauld Place though. It simply reminded her too much of Sirius and of having to hide there, and then having their hideout invaded suddenly. And no matter what Kreacher did, it always felt so dreary inside, which brought the overall mood down.

Now she wasn't exactly excited to be living in a manor, since it would obviously be far too large, but with Teddy and another child, that would hopefully make things more interesting. Teddy didn't have any friends. Especially none around his age.

Having a child during the height of the Second Movement would have been a stupid idea, and it wasn't lost on Harry how incredibly foolish Tonks and Remus had been. She'd never regret Teddy's existence, but common sense would dictate to avoid child bearing altogether until things were calm once more. She thought her  _own_  parents absolutely bonkers to be having a kid whilst going out on raids to fight off Death Eaters.

In their community, only thirty-one magical children were born between the dates of 22 June 2006 and 31 August 2008. Twenty-five of those were muggleborns who were listed for Hogwarts already, because muggles didn't know about a magical war happening on their land. Essentially, it wasn't enough. Teddy's year was going to be a mix of children his own age and those up to two years older than him. There simply weren't enough children his age alone, to make up an entire Year of Hogwarts students. At most there would possibly be four new additions to each dormitory which just wasn't cutting it.

The whole problem had been worked out by McGonagall already, and it had taken her months to figure it out. Harry had been apprised of the situation so she could be ready. The age differences in Teddy's year alone were going to cause problems. Thirteen year olds being forced to take the same classes with eleven year olds would not go over well, but there was nothing they could do save for those kids beginning their school work outside of Hogwarts and testing into the appropriate year. But then they would lose the chance of a Beginner's Year where they had the chance to get used to everything new to them.

Third Years had harder and more demanding schedules than First Years. First Year was like a grace period and the free time was numerous to help the kids adapt to the life of a boarding school.

Harry felt bad that this was a problem at all. And she knew it would be difficult for Teddy. Connecting with people outside your Year wasn't easy at Hogwarts. There were tiers of a sort to the whole social realm of schooling. Forget Houses rarely intermingling, age groups rarely did either.

So there were already a limited amount of children within Teddy's age range, and none of their parents wanted their kids to associate with the boy because of the widespread fear of werewolves and the known knowledge of Remus being a werewolf.

So what if Teddy got a bit fuzzy during the full moon? That didn't make him dangerous! He'd bitten both Harry  _and_  Andy many times and nothing had happened to either of them! And if he  _was_  capable of infecting people, he'd only be dangerous one day a month, and they would take measures to help him!

"Harry," said Teddy, startling her out of her thoughts, "do I really have to wear this?"

She looked the boy up and down, finding his clothing to be perfectly acceptable. A nice button-down with a black waistcoat, and black trousers and shoes. His hair, which was black and shaggy to resemble Harry's more because Harry was his favourite person at present, had been left to its own devices. Teddy's eyes were like tiger's eye. Not exactly gold like Remus' had been. Teddy had various shades of gold and brown striations that he liked to have when he wasn't mimicking Harry's eye colour.

"I happen to think you look quite dashing," she told her godson, planting a kiss on his cheek and getting a stifled giggle for her efforts. "We want to set a good example. We can't look like vagabonds or they won't trust us alone in their house." An unfortunate truth.

"You look good too. Are you sure the muggles will be fine with you being a nanny? You don't really look old enough to be anyone's nanny."

"Mrs. Heelshire didn't sound like she minded over the phone when we spoke. If there was a problem they would have said something when I talked to them I'm certain."

Teddy fiddled with Harry's hair, which had no hope of holding any kind of style and was just left as it was, cascading down her back in long, curlyish waves. "If you say so. Do you think they'll be okay with me being here?"

"I mentioned you on the call and they didn't seem opposed. Don't worry, cub. They'll be enamoured by you. Anyone would be."

"Okay!"

Their trunks were resting beside them and Teddy wiggled himself free so he could grab his own. Despite Harry preferring to carry him everywhere, she couldn't deny the boy his limited independence. Besides, no eight year old wanted to be coddled  _that_  much. He'd just insist that he was a 'big boy' now.

"Can I ring the doorbell?"

She waved the boy on, smiling as his enthusiasm.

The woman that answered was just a bit taller than Harry, in high class clothing with short, white/blonde hair that reminded Harry to not cut her own hair once she got too old. The society-enforced idea that older women weren't allowed to have long hair was so annoying. Harry wouldn't mind a long mane of white/silver hair.

"Hello. You are Ms. Evans I presume?"

"Yes, Mrs. Heelshire. I'm Harry and this is my godson Edward."

Teddy, overcome suddenly by his own shyness, slid a bit behind Harry's left leg and gave a wave. "Hi."

* * *

There was a child in the house. There hadn't been a child in the house since Brahms was a child himself and had gotten burned. Over twenty years, and yet his new nanny… had a child.

His nanny was a young woman. Brahms hadn't been told about a new nanny coming along. He'd apparently been sleeping when the call had been made and the directions set in place, so he didn't get to listen in on the conversation. Did his parents think a surprise nanny would last compared to the numerous women who failed? That maybe he couldn't build up any preconceived notions of a surprise nanny?

He'd heard the ringing of the bell, and that was what alerted him that there was a visitor. One that hadn't been expected. His parents had been keeping secrets. Not even telling the precious doll of theirs about their plan.

They'd lead the new nanny and the child, into his old room, which was now the doll's room, and that was when Brahms got his first real look at the woman, who was most definitely a woman.

Perfect skin was what popped out the most about the stranger. It was pale and smooth. Her face looked more flawless and porcelain than the doll Brahms' parents had replaced him with. She was also quite short. Shorter than Brahms' mother was even. Her trousers were suitable for the workplace, but loose enough for movement. She was wearing shiny, black flats.

The next detail to stand out were the eyes, which were a shade of green he'd never seen on a person before. And they were noticeable even from across the room and through a two-way mirror. Though the spectacles did seem to magnify them a bit. Contrasting the eyes and the skin, was the blacker than black hair that seemed a cross between shaggy and curly, stretching far behind her and reminding Brahms of his own hair, but much cleaner and longer.

He wanted to touch it.

Beside the nanny was a boy the same size Brahms had been when he'd gotten burned. His hair was the same as the nanny's, but his eyes seemed more like golden topaz than anything remotely green. His skin was also deeply tanned compared to his guardian, making Brahms wonder if they were even related at all.

He was well-behaved for a child though, merely bouncing in place as he watched the adults around him interact. Looked endlessly curious about everything too.

The look that came over his face when he saw the Brahms doll had been… amusing? There was a bit of confusion as he looked to his guardian for an explanation. Even to Brahms, the idea of doting on a doll for years was a bit ridiculous, all because they couldn't bear to look at him after his accident and the things he'd done that they had been perfectly complicit in, he felt compelled to add.

"This is our son, Brahms."

Mummy was describing his daily schedule in detail.

> **RULES**
> 
> No guests.
> 
> Never Leave Brahms Alone.
> 
> Save Meals in the Freezer.
> 
> Never Cover Brahms' Face.
> 
> Read a Bedtime Story.
> 
> Play Music Loud.
> 
> Clean the Traps.
> 
> Only Malcolm Brings Deliveries.
> 
> Brahms is Never to Leave.
> 
> Kiss Goodnight.

The clipboard beside the doll had the basics of the rules written out for both newcomers to see in case they needed a refresher. The nanny looked contemplative, the child looked mollified.

"Ms. Evans, if you'll follow me, I'll show you the rest of the house," mummy said, taking up the doll and urging the nanny and her charge to follow her.

Brahms followed as well, endlessly curious about the woman and the child and wanting to know more about them and why they'd come all the way to the countryside.

"Now, Ms. Evans, you said you were looking for privacy in this job?" mummy asked as she set the doll down in the kitchen. Brahms was watching, once again, behind another mirror.

Ms. Evans hummed and ran a hand through her charge's hair and gestured to the back door for him to go outside. The boy practically lunged for the door, an excited grin on his face.

"Evans was my mother's maiden name. My true name is Hariel Jamie Potter-Black. The Potter and Black families are very old and very wealthy, and within certain circles I am quite well-known and desired. Mostly for status and wealth, but also fame by association. I've been getting harassed lately, so I decided to pull away for a time, under a change of name, to avoid some people, at least until they deem me too old for them, which will be in the next four years or so. Anyone around here will know me as Harry Evans, which makes me sound like a man, which is fine with me. Makes me harder to track."

Both mummy and Brahms were a bit gobsmacked at that sudden revelation.

"Have you told anyone where you are?" mummy asked. Brahms was curious to know too. Would people notice if she went missing permanently should things not work out with her as a nanny?

"I told my two best friends. They've had my back through some terrible things and might drop by occasionally to catch me up to date on information. We don't use the internet and letters can be traced to an extent. I hope that isn't a problem?" Hariel aimed a very sweet, beautiful, charming, dazzling, and many other words that his brain couldn't think up on the spot, smile at mummy.

The old woman stuttered for a moment, before nodding a bit. "I'm sure Brahms won't mind so long as you follow the schedule and be good to him. If you are good to him, he is good to you."

Not that anyone managed to do that as of yet, sadly. But maybe Hariel would be the change. She already had a charge and how different could their daily schedules be? The chances of her following the schedule were very high already.

"Of course it's up to dear Brahms to choose whether he wants you as his nanny, dear. He can be very fussy you see, but none of the other nannies were as lovely as you are."

No they were not.

Brahms wanted this one, even if he had to deal with sudden visitors from time to time. She said at least four years away from them, and that was enough time, if she managed to do her job well, to get her to want to stay.

The boy came back inside following daddy. He was wearing gloves and was holding up a dead rat as long as his forearm. He presented the rat to his guardian, a wide grin on his face. "Harry, look at how big they get!" And she did not flinch even a centimeter as a dead rodent was practically shoved in her face.

"Might need something specifically for killing vermin. I could acquire some heavy duty poison. In a week, no rodents will want to come anywhere near this house, don't worry." She looked so sure as she was saying it and her smile unnerved even Brahms.

She had lovely teeth and a pretty mouth, but something about this grin made the hair on his arms raise a bit. As if she was planning a mass-scale murder.

Brahms followed along as she was given the rest of the tour, going through the motions of what was expected of her in taking care of the doll. The nightly routine, the stories, and the goodnight kiss. And the small span of time where his parents locked her out of his old bedroom so they may ask him through the mirror if he was fine with her.

He was.

* * *

**~.O.~**

* * *

**A/N: Another is done!**

**How was it? Let me know!**

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	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Harry and Teddy are settling in.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/).**

* * *

**~.O.~**

* * *

By the next morning to see the Heelshire's off, Harry had fully become accustomed to what was expected of her in this job. She would be caring for a doll. Thankfully, because the schedule was so easy and would fit right along with her plans for Teddy, she didn't mind it. It could honestly be worse. She had originally anticipated much worse too.

The moment the elderly couple were out of the house, Teddy turned to her, arms outstretched to ask, "Can I have the doll?"

"Brahms isn't ours, Teddy."

"I know. I wanna play with him though."

Carefully, she handed the doll over, a stern look on her face. "Be careful with him. We may be able to fix broken things with a snap of the fingers, but that doesn't mean we should be careless with ours or other people's possessions. He's very important to Mr. and Mrs. Heelshire."

Teddy nodded and took the doll into his arms. Brahms wasn't as big as Teddy, who took after Remus when it came to height. But considering the fact that the doll was supposed to represent an eight year old, and Teddy was about to turn eight, it worked in its own way.

"I suppose if you plan on playing with Brahms, you can just bring him with you everywhere. And we're so fortunate his schedule is so easy to fill." She looked down at the watch Mrs. Weasley had given her. "It's ten to eleven right now, on a Friday. No lessons today, which is lucky for you. A long weekend for all of us."

The boy sighed in obvious relief as he shifted the doll around a bit for a more comfortable position.

"Music should be played around now though. And since it just says to play the music loudly, I'm going to take that as what it is and play something not classical. I'm going to get the gramophone I brought, you bring Brahms to the drawing room."

It had been a last minute addition to their pack. Thankfully, they had Undetectable Extension Charms so the whole thing fit easily into her trunk. The one the Heelshire's owned was a muggle gramophone, which was why she didn't want to play a Weird Sisters' record on it. Magical records should be played on magical devices so as not to possibly ruin muggle technology. Because that could very well happen and she wasn't that good at repairing muggle technology that had been ruined by magic.

She found the boys where she'd told them to go, and laughed when Teddy's eyes went wide. "It's huge!"

"Yep!" Though technically it was only the horn that was huge. It gave McGonagall's a run for its money actually. It was large, purely made of silver, and could fit her whole head inside. It was also detachable which made transport a lot easier.

She'd found it in her Gringotts Vault. Turned out there was more in it than just gold. Most of it useless but every few worthless items she'd find something of actual value.

"While you're in here, I'm going to start on lunch, so don't get into any mischief."

"I found a book in Latin in the ground floor library. I'm going to practice it was Brahms."

Ah, yes. Andy had wanted him to know Latin before attending Hogwarts. Harry, subsequently, got lessons in it too just because she was the godmother who came around more often than anyone else dared to.

The needle was placed on the record and a subtle spell on the crank set things in motion.

"What do you want for lunch?" she asked as she headed for the kitchen.

"Something with chicken, please?!"

She could do that with ease.

* * *

There was music of a kind he'd never heard before, blasting throughout his house. It was very different from Beethoven, but it was… nice in its own way. He didn't know why she had to use a different gramophone for the music though. And he couldn't believe she'd been able to fit the horn in anything she'd brought with her. Where had she been storing it?

The boy, whose name he'd learned was Edward Remus, but who went by Teddy, was playing with the doll version of Brahms.

So far they'd been following the rules. And if the boy was always playing with the doll, then technically Harry didn't have to bring it everywhere with her. It was a weird way to get around the rules, but he wasn't really annoyed by it. She'd done the same with the music. The rules were very simple and not very specific, so even though there was a deviation from what he was used to, she hadn't broken a rule.

It was all so very strange.

Harry was in the kitchen while Teddy and the doll were in the drawing room. Brahms was unsure of who to watch. The boy currently reading a Latin storybook and actually understanding it apparently, or the beautiful woman in his kitchen who was cooking them all lunch. There was just so much he wanted to observe!

Eventually he chose Harry, simply because she was the nanny and technically there for  _him_  whether she knew it or not. She was rolling out dough on the island counter and cutting off strips of equal measure. She was making homemade pasta. His mummy had never done that before. She preferred the ease of store-bought pasta.

Her hair had been pulled up into a messy bun where a few strands fell into her face. Her glasses had remained though, and she looked like a diligent worker.

There were cubes of chicken frying in a pan while another pan holding what looked like creme, was simmering behind it. And finally, water was boiling in one of the largest pots mummy had purchased. He didn't know what she was making since he'd never seen anything like it before, but he could smell garlic and immediately liked it.

She was efficient and worked like someone used to doing things like this. None of the other nannies knew how to cook from scratch. Brahms wanted to know how exactly she learned to do all of this. Not even his mummy could do it all like Harry was.

And why did she want to be called Harry when Hariel sounded so pretty? It made him think of Lord of the Rings. Like an elf. And Harry was pretty too, so she'd probably be an elf out of everything in Middle Earth.

His head snapped to the side as the front door opened. That would be Malcolm with the weekly delivery. The music in the drawing room probably drowned out the sound so Harry didn't even react. Brahms only knew of the change because the door opening made many of the wooden boards behind the walls creak, and caused a draft, and it was annoying.

As expected, Malcolm walked around the corner, and was immediately bought up short by the sight of Harry's back. Still, he looked interested, which automatically made Brahms' hackles raise. Harry was there for  _him_ , not Malcolm!

It was when he was a foot away, that Harry whipped around, knife in hand, freezing expertly only when the blade was firmly against Malcolm's jugular. Both Malcolm and Brahms were gaping at her in shock, having not expected that reaction of all things. And Brahms… was suddenly very warm everywhere. Warm like he was whenever he…

Anyway, Harry just nearly lobbed off Malcolm's head and Brahms was in full support!

"Can I help you?" Harry asked, voice lower than what Brahms had heard thus far. And it sounded somewhat dangerous. And judging by her reaction to Malcolm, Brahms was certain she was capable of violence to a certain extent. And she would feel no qualms about using it if she felt it was necessary too.

"I-I'm Malcolm. I was bringing the weekly delivery and wanted to introduce myself," the man said, gulping as the knife moved away from his neck slowly.

"I see," Harry smiled, going from mildly threatening to sweet in a split second. It was unnerving to see such a change in persona. "Please ring the bell next time. I'm used to having to defend my back and am still rather jumpy no matter how far away the war is. I would hate to shave off a few inches due to miscommunication."

War. She'd been in a war. She was unlike any nanny he'd ever had. He hadn't even known there were still wars going on! Mummy and daddy didn't want him to know about certain things. They said it would make him nervous. He simply thought it was  _them_  wanting to avoid  _him_  even more than usual. As they controlled what came into the house, he had no way of accessing outside information beyond what he could read in books.

Malcolm looked properly chastised by Harry's words, and nodded his head. He offered a hand in greeting. "The first delivery was chosen by Mrs. Heelshire, but I have a list of what we have down at the shop in case you decide you want something different. The Heelshires are paying and urged me to tell you to get whatever you like." He was smiling now, but it was different from Harry's.

He was flirting. Or trying to at least. Brahms wasn't a stranger to such attentions, he'd seen it in old films he'd managed to secret away. Harry was obviously uncomfortable and was trying to hide it by being nice. Very different. And Malcolm didn't get it!

The two talked, Harry making note of what she wanted for the next delivery. From what she listed out loud, Brahms was expecting a lot of sweets to be made. And that was exciting! He hadn't had sweets in a very long time because mummy and daddy didn't like sweets so of course they wouldn't make any or order any.

Already Harry was far better than any of the others...

While Harry and Malcolm worked out the delivery times, Teddy had come into the kitchen, holding the doll tightly in his arms and watching the stranger interacting with his guardian. For a second, the boy's face fell into a dark look and his hair, which was black, looked like it had gone red. But when Brahms blinked and shook his head to clear it of any useless thoughts, all he saw was black.

Perhaps it was just too dark behind the walls. He did read once that staying in dark places wasn't good for his eyes.

Harry took notice of her ward's presence and waved him into the room. "This is Teddy, my godson."

The boy was silent as he stared up at Malcolm, clutching the doll closer. In response, Harry ran a delicate hand through his messy hair, a much happier smile on her face when looking at him.

After a few more minutes of dragged on talking, Malcolm finally left and Brahms was able to breathe once again when the front door opened and closed, taking Malcolm's heavily perfumed scent with him.

And that was when Teddy looked down and said in a very clear, and no-nonsense tone, "I don't like him."

Brahms found himself liking the boy more and more by the second.

* * *

Harry blinked at the blatant statement. "I mean, I don't either but what are your reasons?" she asked as she went back to cooking, needing to check on the alfredo sauce so it didn't burn. Creme could burn so easily if one was not careful.

Her godson plopped himself down at the counter, the doll placed in the chair beside him and pushed in so it couldn't fall off either side. "I've read some of Aunt Mione's books with help and know all about sex."

She choked, having not expected that of all things to come out of his mouth. It was going to be one of  _those_  discussions, huh? Kids these days came up with the most random shite to talk about at the most unexpected of times.

"Anyway, the science books talk about pheromones and stuff that happens when people are attracted to each other. There is a change in their scents and you know my senses are real good so I can smell it. His did it, like  _everyone_  who looks at you."

Wow. Not something she ever thought she'd hear from her adorable godson. And damn awkward too since he could probably smell sexual arousal. She was going to have to put up extra protections so he wasn't constantly assaulted by certain things that should remain private.

"Most people try to stop their feelings or are very confused about how they feel but he knew what was going on and he liked it. Too much but not the right way." Teddy's head tilted as a frustrated look came over his face. He was obviously trying to explain himself but didn't know the exact way to do so. "A lot of people want you for good and bad reasons and their scents give them away. Malcolm doesn't see you as more than a 'passing fancy' as Aunt Mione's books would say, so I don't like him."

Basically, Teddy could smell Malcolm's sexual interest in her and he was capable of reading the man well enough to know that his interest wasn't long-term or respectful. At most, she'd be some entertainment on the side to spice up his boring life in a boring place.

Of course Teddy wouldn't like that. He was so protective and it was adorable.

She reached across the counter and ruffled his hair. "Lucky for us, I'm none too fond of him. I'm sure he's a pretty decent bloke on the usual, but the flirting on the job was annoying and unappealing. And he has a beard and probably smoked some time this morning."

Teddy nodded. "He smokes at least once a day since it's seeped into his clothes, but his breath didn't smell of it so he probably hasn't had any yet."

He was such a clever kid!

"You hungry, cub?"

"Yes!" he said, bouncing in his seat. "Can I have extra chicken?"

"We have to save some for Brahms," she reminded him as she searched for some crockery that was safe to use. Nothing too fancy. She wasn't throwing a dinner party.

"But he's not alive. They think he is but he isn't," the boy pointed out, looking at the doll and waving a hand in front of its face to prove his point.

"The rules are to be followed, Teddy. We will be living here and they will be paying for our expenses for the most part. It's only right to follow their basic requests," she reminded him. "I have a feeling they  _don't_  think he's a live and just want him to be. Something probably happened to their real son and people cope with trauma and guilt differently. This is probably their way of handling it."

It was a bit unnerving, but watching how earnest they'd been with the doll had spoken volumes to Harry. Something had happened and they were pushing their emotions into a bit of sculpted porcelain to feel better about it.

She set the table up, placing the doll's food in a tupperware container instead of dirtying an extra plate. Nothing in the rules stated she had to serve the food on plates to begin with.

Teddy stared at the doll for a few seconds, before digging into his own chicken alfredo. "Thanks, Harry. Can we watch something on the telly after this. They have a DVD player and I got some Disney films from Aunt Mione to watch."

"Sure, cub."

* * *

**~.O.~**

* * *

**A/N: Another is done!**

**How was it? Let me know!**

**Check out my many other fics!**

**See ya! :D**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/).**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHECK OUT MY MANY OTHER HP FICS! ^-^


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The third day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -All inhabitants of the house get a shock of some sort.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

**CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR.[HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON](http://helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/).**

* * *

**~.O.~**

* * *

It was during breakfast a few days later that Brahms was let in on the fact that the two new residents of his house were… not normal. And not like Brahms was in which they were hideously disfigured or violent.

Though it was worth noting that Harry had a large scar on her brow that spanned the entire space from right to left and trailed a bit down her left eyelid and partially across the bridge of her nose. Like lightning webs. It was silvery and difficult to discern from the rest of her skin, but Brahms had been in her room the night before to finally get a good look at her up close and concluded that she was even more beautiful and that her facial deformity wasn't like his at all. One had to actively be looking for it to really notice it.

She didn't have to cover it up with makeup. She didn't wear makeup at all actually. He skin was better than the doll's was.

Anyway, the abnormality of them came when he was alerted to Harry leaving the manor early in the morning, around five. She'd awoken early every other day she'd been there, which probably meant she was used to waking early. But she'd never left the house so early and that had made him curious.

The moon had still been out and it was full, and she walked around the perimeter of the grounds, crouching now and then to bury something in the earth and then pat it down. He was endlessly curious to see what she had done, but he didn't like leaving the house for any reason if he could help it, so he had to deal with simply not knowing.

But then breakfast rolled around and she'd done something different. She'd made massive fruit smoothies instead of bangers and mash. Or cheesy toast. Or boiled eggs.

And it was noteworthy that a sizable portion had been saved for the doll as well, and then left in the ice box as she'd been instructed.

But it was during breakfast, with him watching from a distance behind a large mirror, that he learned some more about his new nanny and her godson. Something his parents would have been mortified to learn if they'd found out.

Harry placed a bright, purple stone in the center of the island counter where she and Teddy were taking their meal. They tended to prefer the kitchen to the dining room altogether. The kitchen was smaller and more cozy. "Can you tell me what this is?" she asked the boy expectantly.

Teddy stared at it for several seconds, his young face screwed up in concentration. "I think it's a ward stone."

"Exactly!" said Harry. "I went out while the moon was full and planted several of these around the boundary line of the basic section of the property. About six centimeters down for each. The main stone is directly in the center of the house, which happens to be a chimney oddly enough. The protections activated and anything wishing us harm will not be crossing the boundary line. They'll get a nasty shock if they try."

Both grinned at each other, information that he wasn't privy to, passing between them. He was very confused on what a ward stone was and how it could protect anything.

"I'll also be brewing the rat repellent today and will need you to behave while I see to it. Thankfully no lessons today. I'd like to get that out of the way as soon as I can."

"Can we watch?!" asked Teddy, grabbing the doll's hand.

She considered it for a bit, before nodding. "So long as you don't touch anything and wear the face mask just in case. One sneeze and we're done for."

The boy nodded sagely. Meanwhile, Brahms was still very lost on whatever they were talking about.

Thankfully, both left the kitchen, the doll in toe, and left him enough time to grab his own smoothie from the ice box. He'd never had one before as his parents wouldn't make them, and was excited to try it. He managed to get back to his hiding place before they came back. Teddy reached the room first thanks to speed and youth, a frown on his face as he turned in a circle and lifted his head.

_Sniff. Sniff._

The boy was very loudly sniffing the air. Brahms was reminded of him talking about his senses being heightened days before, but he hadn't really thought it true. But the boy was following the path Brahms had taken when he slipped into the room. From oldest scent to freshest. He even opened the ice box, head tilting a bit.

"It's gone," he heard the boy say to himself.

Teddy's head perked up and he closed the freezer quietly while rushing to get himself and the Brahms doll to their seats before Harry walked in, carrying a… black cauldron. An honest to God cauldron that was full of ingredients and was far larger that she was, so he didn't know how she was able to lift it so easily.

She set it down on the island counter and proceeded to pull sealed jars out of it, plus a personal-sized burner, and utensils. Brahms could see that it was very big, but there were far too many items coming out of it for them to all fit inside. He was very confused, which seemed to be a common thing among his new nanny and her charge. Too much was happening at once!

"One Extra Large Sized Pewter Cauldron!" the woman announced as she righted the object on the burner. "I'm going to need to rinse it out but it'll be fine. This one isn't used for things we would personally ingest, so don't worry. We use the Standard Sized Silver Cauldron for those types of brews."

She proceeded to very carefully measure out ingredients and cut apart things that looked they were wiggling. He couldn't tell very well from behind the mirror, and resolved to clean it - and every other two-way mirror in the house - off while the two were asleep and couldn't see him at work. He wasn't ready to show himself just yet.

Things hadn't been going like they had any other time he'd had a new nanny. She followed the rules from the very beginning, even if she interpreted some of them a little differently than the others did. But he hadn't had to use the child's voice he liked. And he hadn't had to move anything to gain compliance. He wasn't used to things going so easily. Nothing in his life had even gone this easily.

At the same time, he was constantly confused or amazed or impressed with the two visitors, so it wasn't like he was having problems. And the food was delicious!

No complaints from what he could remember so far.

After half an hour of stirring and adding ingredients, the concoction she was ' _brewing_ ' turned a sickly, yellow colour. Like Pestilence from the Bible. The liquid bubbled and thick fumes wafted off it, filling the house with a very sweet yet stomach-turning scent. It was off-putting since he typically loved anything with a sweetness to it.

Teddy, who had put on a surgical mask during Harry's work, had to leave to get some fresh air. If his senses were indeed enhanced somehow, the smell had to be killing him. He took the doll with him of course.

Harry finished whatever she was making and proceeded to ladle the entire concoction into several vials of odd shapes.

Her godson came back in while she was cleaning up the counter, his mask officially gone though his nose was still wrinkled. "Are we gonna dump them around the house?"

"Yes. They give off an intense scent that causes paralysis to creatures in the Order: Rodentia. A specifically charged plant their bodies cannot handle ingesting is a main ingredient in the recipe. As the potion gives off minor fumes in any state it's in, even breathing it in will paralyse them and slow down their blood flow until they die. When a lot of animals drop dead in a specific area, the other animals will flee, knowing something is unsafe."

The boy hummed and looked down at the doll. "I wanna help but he can't go outside."

Harry grinned. "The rules said Brahms is Never to Leave. Does that mean the house or the property?"

Brahms himself was brought up short by that distinction. She kept finding loopholes! And they worked! There couldn't be any punishments when her rationalisations made sense!

"If you bring him out you have to be careful though, okay?"

"Okay!"

And amidst the whole doll going outside on an unexpected interpretation of the ninth rule, Brahms remembered that Harry had called the mixture she'd created, a potion.

As in magic and spells and the like.

There were pagans in his house.

Brahms had never met a pagan before.

His parents believed in the Bible and recited prayers that sounded boring and lacking in true emotion after repeating them for two decades. He eventually learned to tune them out and held no real opinion on God and the Bible.

But  _this_  was interesting.

He didn't believe in magic but he was fascinated by Harry and Teddy's beliefs and he planned to watch them even more from now on. He wanted to know everything!

Now if only he could follow them outside to hear what they were saying.

* * *

"Harry, I smelled another person in the house," Teddy told quietly her as they walked the grounds.

She only paused for a second before continuing to pour the potion in the grass. "Could you explain what you mean? A lot of people have been in the house, Teddy."

The boy hummed. "I've been smelling a scent in the house these past few days, but it wasn't from either of the Heelshires or Malcolm. But it's everywhere anyway. And then right after lunch when I went back to the kitchen, I could smell it fresh all over the ice box. The smoothie you put aside for Brahms is gone. Just like all the leftovers you've been saving instead of throwing away. Those containers are all gone too and we didn't notice."

Well then...

Old scent that was there when they arrived but was now fresh again. Food missing. And orders to serve Brahms portions and then freeze the leftovers for later. The Heelshires knew there was another person living in the house, but hadn't seen fit to mention it, meaning it was supposed to be a secret.

Curiouser and curiouser.

"Teddy, can you do me a big favour and scout the house for this scent? We'll take a walk tomorrow and you can tell me all the places it smells the strongest, okay?"

"Mhm! It didn't smell threatening. Maybe a bit unwashed though and some dirt too. It's not out here anywhere so we're good out here."

The manor was rather large and rooms they hadn't even seen did exist. The person could have been living in one of those for however long.

Harry was just unsure of how to go about finding the person and telling them they didn't need to hide or sneak around to get food. If they'd been in the house the entire time Harry and Teddy had been there, and hadn't tried to harm them, which her wards would have alerted her to such intent if it existed, then they couldn't be so horrible.

Another person being the house would explain why there was even a schedule and why it had to be followed strictly, even with room for interpretation. So while Harry and Teddy were on one side of the house seeing to something, the person had free room to roam the other side of the house at their leisure.

All designed so their paths didn't cross. It was very clever.

Now she was curious though. Who was the person they were sharing space with and what had they seen? They had to be a muggle and if it was a muggle who had seen her perform magic, she wasn't sure how to handle that situation. Harry wasn't one who was trained in using Obliviates but she also couldn't call on the Obliviators of the Ministry without alerting Magical Britain to where she was hiding. Then everyone would be breathing down her bloody neck and she'd have to relocate again.

She was avoiding them for a reason and quite a few people on the squad were among those harassing her with marriage proposals.

"I guess we'll just have to be alert and take things as they come. But so long as they don't hurt us, we won't hurt them. But I want you to stick close to me just in case, alright?"

The boy nodded and clutched the doll even closer. "Do you think we'll get to meet them eventually?"

"I do." At some point, the interest would grow too much on one side and they'd end up searching for the other in order to quell the thirst for knowledge. No matter who found who, a confrontation was inevitable.

They finished setting up the poison and went back inside, their conversation dying down.

Now that she was aware of another person in the building, she had to set up additional protections just to be certain. On hers and Teddy's rooms. Silencing Charms in their bedrooms. Intention Lines at their doorways and windows. One could never be too careful.

She'd set up ward stones to prohibit entry to anyone wishing the residents of the property any harm. As there had been another person inside when the wards were set, they were included in the protection. But now that left a bit of a free shot on the person's side. The wards wouldn't protect against harm being committed inside the house by those already living there.

She could only hope that their little friend wasn't a murderer or some shite like that. She didn't want to have to deal with muggle law enforcement all because she somehow got into a fight with a serial killer.

"What's gonna be for dinner, Harry?" Teddy asked her as he removed his shoes and coat.

"I was thinking soup. It's a bit chilly today."

"Can you make bread too? I wanna dip bread in soup!"

"Sure thing, cub."

* * *

**~.O.~**

* * *

**A/N: Another is done!**

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	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry gets some info on what's going on with the Ministry. Brahms is creepy. But the sad kind of creepy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -I thought I'd posted this already. It's been finished since forever.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Harry Potter.**

**I have no beta.**

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* * *

**~.O.~**

* * *

It was about a week later where they received a visit from people they knew personally. Hermione and Ron appeared on the line right outside the ward stones she'd set up. In Hermione's hands was a bag that was filled with items she'd no doubt thought they would need whilst hiding out.

Teddy rushed out of the house immediately to greet them. His tackle-hug was halted by Ron though, who caught him right before he could collide with Hermione. The hurt look on the boy's face cleared up in seconds though, and Harry wondered what had happened in such a short span of time to make him emotions flip so suddenly.

The three made it to the house eventually, and Harry handed the Brahms doll aback to her godson so she could pull her friends into a tight group hug.

"What happened out there?" she asked, shutting the door and taking their coats.

The ginger and brunette shared a grin, and Hermione's hand fell to her stomach, the fabric of her shirt pulling tight and showing a noticeable bump there. "We have to be careful now that we can confirm my pregnancy and the fact the fetus is perfectly healthy. We were already aware, but wanted to wait until half-way through the second trimester before telling anyone just to avoid getting any hopes up. Our world doesn't have a good track record with successful pregnancies."

Well that was sad as hell. Damn. Why didn't they teach that at Hogwarts? Surely a large percentage of people miscarrying throughout their history would be something of a concern. Not everyone was born on the magical side and expecting them to just know this fact all of a sudden was unfair.

"You're going to be a godmother again," said Ron. "If you want of course."

Her best friends were having a child of their own. Distantly, Harry wondered if she was behind or something. Everybody else from her school year was getting married, or already was married, and trying to have children.

"I'd love to be the godmother," she told her best mates, allowing Hermione to take her hand and place it on the wide expanse of her stomach so she could feel the baby moving within. And there was indeed movement against her hand. Just a tiny bit of pressure. Like a tiny ' _hello_ ' from within.

Hermione held out the bag she was carrying. "We bought you some things. We figured you'd need them at some point."

"I  _think_  we need some food," said Harry. "Luckily I baked some biscuits yesterday and there were several batches. Follow me to the kitchen and please remove your shoes. The damn carpets here are expensive and we want to protect them as much as possible without having to use special treatment on them."

In the kitchen, which was actually her favourite room in the house, they all took their seats, which had been enchanted to be more forgiving on their arses. Hermione's attention was on the doll in Teddy's arms. "That's a bit… unnerving for a gift, Harry."

She shrugged. " _That_  is my charge."

Both Ron and Hermione shared another look, though this one was far more confused than the last. "Mate, it isn't real. Is it, Mione?" Ron asked his wife, who held her hands out for Teddy to deposit the doll in her arms.

She looked it over and closed her eyes to try and sense anything supernatural about it. "No," she concluded seconds later while Harry placed a large platter of biscuits on the counter. "There's nothing overtly special about it. It's just a porcelain doll. Not possessed in any way, shape, or form."

Just as Harry had concluded herself. See? She wasn't that inept!

"Something happened to their own son years ago and they haven't handled it very well, so they dote upon a doll look-alike of him."

"You're being paid to look after a doll?"

"Yes."

"...And you're fine with it?"

Harry shrugged. "I mean, I've never been an actual parent, so I don't know what it's like to lose a child. I lost my parents long before I could even understand the loss of them and I barely reacted to the knowledge that they were dead. I was more concerned over being stuck with Petunia and Vernon until I was old enough. It was only by Third Year that I really grasped what their deaths meant to me personally and the fact that I was alone kind of hit me then."

Who knew what was going through the heads of the old couple? Harry had once heard that outliving your child was one of the worst things to ever happen. It had to be a pretty fucked up experience to render two people to treat a doll like a living person.

"You're not alone, Harry," said Hermione.

Ron nodded. "My family sees you as one of our own. You've got all of us."

She smiled at them. "I know. We've all been through some shite together, haven't we?"

The two nodded and they all sighed at the memories of more dramatic times.

"Anyway, what's going on in the world of politics? How long should I avoid the Ministry?"

Hermione reached into her expanded bag and pulled out a clipboard with notes she'd no doubt painstakingly made leading up to this little visit of theirs. "According to a common tradition in Pureblood families, which kind of bled all over our society, is the idea that women aren't as useful as mothers if the pregnancy happens after age thirty. Something about more complications present, which is why so many people  _try_  their best to have children so early on in life. The public desire for your hand in marriage will die down by the time you're thirty, which will leave only a select few who are really desperate for you to marry them. So about three years starting this summer."

She hummed. Magical Britain was so bloody backwards that sometimes it was to hard to believe that there was a place in the world that still had such archaic views and beliefs.

"And has Smith finally given up on marrying me?"

Zacharias Smith was a tosser of the highest order. He'd been nothing but an arsehole the entire time they'd been in school. He spread rumours about her being the Heir of Slytherin, encouraged his friends to harass her during the tournament nonsense, refused to listen during the training they went through for Dumbledore's Army, and was an overall unpleasant individual. Further proven how he would stalk her for dates after Voldy and his Death Munchers had been taken care of.

"He doesn't honestly think I'd want to marry his sexist arse after how he treated me for those six years I attended Hogwarts, does he?"

The grimace on Hermione's face was enough of an answer.

"Is it wrong to hope that he falls in a ditch without his wand and is never found?"

Ron snorted, receiving a smack in the arm from his wife, who was trying to look reproachful. Of course the slight tilt to her lips gave her away, but Hermione had always been a stickler for the rules.

"He's facing enough problems of his own," said the pregnant woman. "It was recently revealed that the Smiths  _aren't_  related to Hufflepuff at all and it was just a lie Hepzibah Smith had started once she acquired Hufflepuff's Cup. With it in her possession, she was able to claim that it was an heirloom passed down for years. Zacharias hasn't handled the public shame very well and seems to think marrying you will shove it all under the rug."

Teddy growled a bit, entering the conversation officially then. "If he goes near Harry, I'll bite him."

Now she knew she should discourage such thoughts from breeding in her godson's mind, but it was coming from a desire to protect her from someone who wouldn't leave her alone. It was sweet how protective he was of her and she appreciated how solidly he held to his beliefs even at such a young age.

Besides, intruding on someone's personal space or property was enough to deserve some punishment. Even if it came in the form of half-werewolf biting him.

"Eat your biscuits, cub."

The boy did so, placing one in front of the doll, and Harry knew she was going to be putting aside a container for their other house-guest. It was only fair.

"So basically, I'm a trophy wife that everyone still wants to get their hands on."

"Sadly," Hermione admitted. "I'm hoping that I'll be able to change that at some point. I've got my eye on the position of Minister, so we'll see."

"You'll have my vote if it comes down to it. And I'm certain our schoolmates will realise that you're a great option as a leader." Hermione had saved a lot of arses in school, so they damn well better.

"The next election I can participate in as a candidate is in 2022 so we'll see how it goes."

* * *

Watching Harry get ready for bed was something that Brahms liked very much. Distantly, he was aware that he should respect a lady's privacy. Something he'd heard long ago before the accident. But it was just so hard not to watch her when all he wanted to do was to watch her every move!

Her skin, for the most part, was unmarred and smooth. He wanted to test out the assumption personally by running his hands over the flat plain of her stomach and the slight curve of her hips. He'd had nannies with wider hips or larger busts. Some with nicer hair. Others with far better posture. And yet Harry was his favourite.

Even when she chose to only wear her knickers and a white t-shirt far too large for her to bed, compared to the lacy trappings some of the others had preferred. Oddly enough, Harry's choice of sleepwear made his body warm and tingly far more than any of the others had.

She had such nice legs too. He found himself staring at them a lot and wanting… to touch. With more than his hands. He felt awkward in his own body when looking at Harry.

Brahms had grown to be very tall. Taller than anyone who'd ever stepped into the house. His shoulders were more broad than anyone else he'd ever seen too. Puberty had been hell to go through, and even that wasn't as awkward a time as it was when his body got all hot while he watched Harry undress.

He'd yet to follow her into the bathroom. He wanted to. But he also didn't. He was kind of scared when it came to nakedness. He'd only seen a handful of his nannies naked and he'd only seen himself naked. And he didn't like that vision much because his scars were so ' _hideous_ ' to borrow a word he'd heard mummy use to describe him once. Brahms was aware that he was ugly and unfixable, that was why he wore the mask.

The doll's face was pretty and something people would prefer to look at. To be around.

If anyone saw his face, they'd run away. That was why he could only watch but not personally interact with others. And watching was sometimes good and sometimes bad.

Brahms had never shown himself to any of the other nannies… well, not before they kept breaking the rules and proving why they weren't worthy. Brahms made them disappear. Just like daddy did when people annoyed him. Of course Brahms wasn't as good at it so daddy had to help every time he'd get rid of a nanny. He'd been doing away with bodies long before Brahms was even born, so it wasn't a struggle for him.

Daddy had ' _connections_ ' and Brahms had daddy.

With Harry and Teddy around, Brahms might not need daddy ever again. He just had to convince her to stay. He liked her food, and her strange music, and even her weird beliefs that were unlike anything he'd ever come across in person.

There was a sort of restlessness about him. She'd followed all the rules and had been very nice. Nicer than any nanny that come through in the past. But there seemed to be nothing preventing her from leaving. Nothing that would make her want to stay.

She had living friends. No family of her own though. He'd heard the word ' _orphan_ ' during her friends' visit. But the red-haired friend had said his family viewed her as their own and she'd always be important to them. And she was technically related to her godson through her deceased grandmother being the boy's great aunt. So essentially, Harry's grandmother, and Teddy's great grandmother, shared a mother, and Teddy's dying grandmother was a cousin in some way.

But still! This meant that Harry's heart was elsewhere and Brahms had a feeling she wasn't the type of person who could be forced to do anything. So trying to make her stay wouldn't work at all. But how to convince her that Heelshire Manor was somewhere she needed to be forever?

It wasn't as if Brahms himself had anything to offer. He was ugly and never got to finish his schooling properly. And his parents… they'd left him that letter. They were gone. And if she found out that they were never coming back, she wouldn't have a reason to stay. Their lawyer had everything set up of course, but if Harry was already wealthy on her own, she wouldn't need the payments assured in the Will.

And then Brahms would be all alone, but for real this time. Not just sequestered behind the walls because his parents couldn't bear to look at him. He'd be truly alone for good.

There was a cold, sinking feeling welling up in his stomach. He felt ill. Like he was going to vomit.

Brahms returned to his own… space. It wasn't really room. He hadn't had a room in a very long time. His bed was cold and lonely. And small. Or he was just too big. Brahms had always been too big and it had scared his parents. He tried to be shorter by hunching over but that just hurt his back all the time.

Too tall. Too scarred. Too ugly.

Too much.

* * *

 

**~.O.~**

* * *

**A/N: Another is done!**

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	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Brahms is found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which there's threats of sponge baths and talking.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Harry Potter of The Boy.**

**I have no beta.**

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* * *

**~.O.~**

* * *

Harry had been incredibly quiet. Her curiosity had finally gotten the better of her and she'd decided to wait after putting Teddy and the doll to bed, before trying to locate the presence of their other friend. Her inner Gryffindor was shining through in that moment, but her inner Slytherin was on high alert too.

Lo' and behold, they were located in the kitchen, going through the ice box with the overhead light on. Certainly not expecting Harry to go back downstairs since she always went to her room after tucking Teddy in. They'd acclimated to her schedule very well in so few days to do so.

She took in as much detail as she could in the few seconds of time she had. This person was a very tall person. Taller than even Ron was. Probably the tallest human she'd ever laid eyes on. Their shoulders were broad the his hair was dark and curly. They were wearing a green/blue cardigan and dark trousers that weren't long enough and cut off somewhere at the shins. There was dirt and sawdust all over their clothing and hair.

"So  _you're_  the stowaway," she decided to announce, knowing it was fine because Teddy's room had been spelled to silence so he wouldn't hear anything while sleeping and she had magic on her side, be it done with a wand or without.

At once, the guest was rigidly upright, head turned to the right, facing the long mirror at the end of the room. In doing so, Harry could see that they were wearing a mask of a sort, and that they - most likely a he once all the details fell into place - was very heavily bearded beneath it. His body turned, his weight balanced on the balls of his feet as if preparing to run for it. She knew the stance well from personal experience.

"You don't have to run away," she rushed to tell him. "We've known for a while. Teddy sniffed you out during our first week here. I've been mindful to give you decent portions when cooking."

He was stiff and seemed unsure of what to do.

"Can I at least get your name so I know who I'm sharing space with?" she asked.

And then he turned, and a familiar face came into view. It was like a cut out of the Brahms doll's face, blocking out the man's own face. Everything but the eyes, which seemed dark under the light. She wasn't sure though because there was an island counter between them and the lights weren't meant for that sort of purpose.

"I'm Harry."

"...I know."

The voice was high and childlike. Unnatural given his massive size. Fake.

Harry had been hired to take care of Brahms Heelshire. But that ended up being a doll. But it was obvious the parents knew this person was living in the house and needed some help since the rules kind of made it obvious. So then… "Are you the real Brahms?"

And that was when he turned fully around finally, allowing her to see him completely. There was indeed a beard under the mask. A very unkempt one stretching down his neck. And his chest was very hairy as well. There was a white tank top beneath his cardigan and it was stained almost yellow. He also had suspenders. It wasn't a very fashionable outfit, even for someone as fashion-inept as Harry.

"You need a bath," she decided.

Instantly, Brahms stepped back, the eyes behind the holes of the mask going wide. It was like how Teddy used to react when he was told about bath time. She could never understand why children didn't like taking baths. Dudley certainly hadn't liked them. Harry had always forced to take quick showers so she never got to. Now she did it all the time. Warm baths and then a rinse with the shower-head were great!

If Brahms Heelshire didn't want to take care of himself properly, then Harry would actually get to do her job properly and do it for him.

"I know you've been watching us, and you may have come to the conclusion that we aren't your average, everyday people," she said, casually withdrawing her wand from her sleeve. The Holly wood gleaned under the fluorescent lights. "If you refuse to bathe yourself, I will enchant a bunch of sponges and soap, to following you around and clean you that way. Very embarrassing. I wouldn't recommend it."

With a flick of the wand, the sponge she used to wash the dishes, rose along with the dish soap. She could simply get another any other time. But she was trying to make a point. They weren't the best to have on hand but desperate times called for desperate measures.

The wide eyes staring at the sponge that floated threateningly in the air, flickered back and forth between her and it.

"Do you wish to suffer the embarrassment of being stripped and washed in the corridor?" she asked with finality, making him shake his head repeatedly. His hair flopped around messily.

"Then you will get some clean clothes, give me the dirty ones so they may be washed, and clean yourself in the bathroom down here. And then we are going to talk. Don't try running, I can find you now that I know your name and what you look like."

He glanced at the mirror again, but she wasn't having it. "We know you're hiding behind the mirrors. I can make it so you can't get behind them, so don't try it."

* * *

Brahms had never felt so unprepared! He'd simply been getting his food and she'd managed to sneak up on him without him even noticing! And she knew he'd been there all along! Teddy really did have good senses.

But he'd never been caught off guard so badly before! He didn't even have a weapon because he hadn't thought he would need one. Brahms struggled to trust anyone or anything. He hadn't even trusted his parents in the past few years. Harry had just come up behind him without a care in the world, and began talking!

And now she was forcing him to take a bath! He didn't like baths. He nearly drowned in one once. And there was only one shower… in Harry's room.

He was being threatened with sponges and soap. She'd made them fly. Like magic. Brahms didn't believe in magic but… everything she'd been doing since arriving, would make more sense if magic was involved. The cauldron and 'potions' and weirdly fitting a lot of things into small spaces that shouldn't fit them at all!

"I'll make us some tea while I wait for you," said Harry, rummaging through the cupboards to get some mugs.

He hurried away, scared she'd make due on her threat with the stripping and cleaning. He didn't want her to see his scars. And he needed some time to think about magic and how Harry could apparently use it. And how Teddy probably could too which was why he was so oddly talented for a child.

And the conversation they'd had with Harry's visiting friends. Talking about a Ministry and a society of people. A lot of people using magic. Enough to have a government.

Nothing was going as it should! This had never happened with any of the other nannies!

His hands shook as he reached for the hot water tap. He could be quick. There were spare pyjamas and a housecoat in the bathroom cupboard. Just in case a guest ever forgot their own clothing, he'd been told once. He could just wear those for the time being.

Hot water and soap. He just had to be sharpish about it. Scrub with the fingernails and watch as the dirty water trailed down the drain. He didn't bother to stopper the tub either, not wanting to potentially drown himself again.

There was a bucket for water specifically. He poured some over his head, grunting as the mask got in the way. He didn't want to remove it, but he had to. It was important to clean his face too. Even if no one would ever see it.

Distantly, he remembered Harry's first meeting with Malcolm and how she told Teddy that she wasn't interested in his beard. Harry didn't like beards. It never occurred to him to shave it off though. But he could. There was a pack of razors and creme available in the cupboard.

But then his face would feel naked. Exposed. He didn't like the thought of that. But there was no hiding now. Harry knew about him and she would no doubt try to come and find him if he stayed away for too long. And he wanted her to want to stay. And now he had the opportunity to get her to stay, so he needed her to like him. A clean shaven face would help. He hoped.

He hadn't maintained his beard in a very long time. His movements were sloppy and unsure. He got water everywhere and he got out to go to grab the razor and creme. The creme smelled horrible and he nicked his throat in the process!

Brahms hated bathing! He hated having to monitor personal hygiene!

When the bath-time from hell was finally finished, he found himself staring into the mirror, looking at his relatively youthful face. If one would ignore the burn scars, he could be considered okay. He did look better without the beard too. But there was some blood running down his neck from where he'd cut himself. The wound stung.

It had been quite some time since he'd hurt himself. He'd stopped doing that deliberately ages ago when it got boring. And he was so sure of himself normally that it didn't even happen on accident anymore.

The pyjamas weren't big enough for him and pulled too tight around his chest and his… hips. Thankfully, the housecoat was large and hid everything he wanted hidden, for the most part. It was thick and fluffy, and his wet hair, which made him realise his hair was much longer than he'd originally believed it to be, managed to hide most of the scars on the back of his neck.

He slipped the mask back on and trudged out to the kitchen, his dirty clothing bundled in his bath towel in his arms.

Harry was there as she said she'd be, and so was a basket that she pointed to. "Clothes in there please. Come have some tea and we'll have a chat."

* * *

Brahms Heelshire was a grown man probably around her age if she was guessing correctly. Harry was going to be twenty-six in July so she would go along with the assumption that he'd been living like a ghost in his own house, for a very long time. Having a doll of his eight year old self around, meant something happened when he was eight to change things and his parents couldn't handle it very well.

"So why aren't you living here officially? I take it no one but your parents knows that you're here."

He was awkward and hunched over in his chair, large hands dwarfing the cup she'd given him. The mask was still in place, but the beard was gone. He looked much cleaner now, and less like a homeless man. There was no reason for someone who lived in such a massive house with all this money, to be dressed like a vagabond. Not even Harry retained her style from her teen years.

Brahms didn't answer her question. She needed a different approach because he wasn't like the usual person. There was always the option of Truth Serum, but she didn't want to worry him any further. This all had to be new and the childish voice he chose to use had to mean a break in personality. Perhaps he was caught between being a child and being a grown man. Or something possibly worse?

The parents obviously preferred the doll if it was the one out in the open and the town knew about it and accepted their odd quirk. That had to mess him up inside at least a little bit.

"How about we make a deal. I ask a question, you answer. You ask a question, I answer. How does that sound, Brahms?"

He met her gaze then, and gave a hesitant nod.

"Why don't you go first?" she offered to put him at ease. Let him think he had the control if only for a moment.

"What are you?" The childish voice was in full use. He sounded like a little boy. Maybe one around Teddy's age. Or the doll's age. The pieces were coming together.

"I'm a witch. Where do you sleep?"

"...In the walls. What is Teddy?"

So he was getting around between the walls and using the mirrors to do it. There had to be a whole room somewhere if he was actually full-time living in them.

"Teddy's father was a werewolf so he got heightened senses because of that. You can't be infected though, so don't worry. Why do you live in the walls instead of out with the rest of us?"

Brahms squirmed and looked away. "Officially I'm dead. And mummy and daddy don't like looking at me anymore."

What the bloody hell had Harry gotten herself into?

"You can use magic then?"

"Yes. It can do practically anything, really. What happened when you were eight?"

She'd taken a shot in the dark at it really, but judging by how quickly his eyes went wide and the stiff set of his shoulders, she'd gotten somewhere close to what was going on.

Brahms sighed and the childish voice seemed to waver between the usual high sound and a deeper, more masculine sound that was probably his real voice. "There was a girl I was forced to play with from the town. I didn't like her, I wanted to play by myself and not go outside at all. On my birthday she dragged me out to the forest where we weren't allowed to go. It was against the rules. She was going to get me in trouble. We fought and I told her bad things happen to people who break the rules and that they disappear forever."

Well that was ominous. She was getting very strong, Tom Riddle vibes in a sense, which wasn't good.

"She hit me and called me a baby, so I hit her back and told her I could make her disappear if she didn't leave me alone. By the time I had calmed, she was dead and her head was caved in."

While unnerving, Harry couldn't help but be curious. "Where did you learn such a threat as ' _making someone disappear_ '?" That wasn't something random eight year olds came up with on their own. Dudley often threatened Harry using things he'd heard Vernon threaten her with. He wouldn't have been able to do half of them but the boy hadn't known that at the time. He didn't even understand what half of those threats even meant.

So where did Brahms get his threats from? What sort of influences shaped him?

"Daddy," was his simple answer. "I would sneak around at night and I used to sneak into daddy's study while he had special night meetings. There were a lot of men at the meetings. And sometimes daddy would threaten them like that when they got annoying. And sometimes he'd hit until they stopped moving. And then they wouldn't be at the next meeting, meaning he did make them disappear for good."

The little old man that was Mr. Heelshire had a shady past too? And Brahms… had learned by example. He saw his father do it to stop someone from annoying him, so he did it too. Only… he was eight and not a grown man with experience on how to get away with it.

"You went home and told your parents what happened," she said with clarity. "And they weren't pleased."

"No." His voice was, she would guess, normal now. No longer childish. It wasn't deep in her opinion. Not Snape-like, but not Voldy's either.

"Did they tell you killing is wrong and shouldn't be done?"

He shook his head. "They were angry it couldn't be covered up and that their reputation would be ruined when people eventually found her body."

More concern over their reputation than over the possible psychopathic tendencies their son had picked up from his father? But if he'd learned from said father, then it was normal behaviour for Mr. Heelshire. Meaning he probably didn't find it wrong per se, just that it wasn't done stealthily. Basically, Brahms had been too Gryffindor in handling the situation, when he should have been Slytherin. But how can one expect a pampered eight year old to understand such advanced concepts?

"There was yelling," said Brahms. "Arguing. I hid under my bed because it was too loud, and fell asleep when they calmed down. And then there was a call. Emily had been found and the police wanted to question me. Daddy decided they'd fake my death by setting fire to my bedroom so they could avoid the scandal. They didn't know I was under the bed though and I got caught up in the fire. And now I have scars, and have lived in the walls ever since."

And what could Harry say to all of this?

"That's fucked up." Seriously. It made it seem like certain horror films could be possible and weren't just dramatic gore fests. And Harry was now involved in it.

* * *

  **~.O.~**

* * *

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	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deciding how to move forward can be exhausting but is worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -So Harry's Slytherin side comes out a bit as she manipulates Brahms into not wanting to be treated like a child anymore. She goes a bit overboard but it's necessary to scare him into wanting to be the grown man he is.
> 
> -Harry Potter still has a Saving-People-Thing!

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Harry Potter of The Boy.**

**I have no beta.**

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* * *

**~.O.~**

* * *

It had been a long time since Brahms had sat at the kitchen table for any reason. A long time since he'd been  _invited_  to sit at the table, let alone take tea with someone. He hadn't even had tea in a very long time. There never seemed to be a point in making any for just himself. He never drank much to begin with so what use was a kettle anyway?

And it was the first time in forever for all of these things, and he was talking about himself. In his own voice. To a woman who claimed to be a witch and could make things float and threatened to wash him against his will if he didn't do it himself. It sounded utterly mad, but when he considered everything he had learned about her, it just made sense.

The cauldron that fit more items than it should, the making of potions, the mention of a 'Ministry', the fact that she was hiding out in the countryside of all places, and the 'ward stones' she'd placed all over the property. The weird acceptance of the abnormal tacked on as well.

She now knew he was no stranger to killing but she didn't even look scared. She wasn't normal. It wasn't a normal thing for normal people to accept, he knew. He'd seen enough films to know normal people seemed to get scared whenever death was mentioned. In any way it came up usually.

"Did your parents ever bother to tell you that killing is wrong or was it all concern about their social standing and what would happen to  _them_?" Harry asked him eventually, cutting the tense silence between them with visible ease. She sounded so calm, which was the exact opposite of him. Brahms felt like he was either going to melt and sink into the floor, or he'd explode into nothingness.

He blinked. Of course he'd read in some places that killing is bad. Even the Bible. But his parents didn't exactly follow that as well as they wanted the people in the town to believe. Their Faith was an act almost too perfect to see the flaws in. And they had never actually told him to stop. They even went so far as to help him. Even if they were scared of him from time to time, they still participated. They'd been used to doing it with daddy's business deals over the years so it was nothing new for them.

Brahms ended up shaking his head to answer her question.

"Okay, well first order of business is to impress upon you the fact that murder is wrong generally speaking and breaking basic rules or being annoying, aren't good enough excuses to do it."

When he went to reply, she held up a hand to halt him. "I will be the first to admit that there are some instances where murder seems to be the only option, but generally speaking it is frowned upon in polite society and you'll need to stop. I take it you've murdered more than once?"

"Seven times." Six nannies and one little girl.

Harry squinted at him, as if trying to see something that he couldn't. "How many nannies came before me?"

She was very smart. Probably the smartest person he had ever personally met. Though he hadn't met many people obviously, nothing could convince him otherwise. "Six," he answered simply. No use in hiding it when she was smart enough to work out the facts.

"Right. That's not good, Brahms," she said, disapprovingly.

He squirmed, unhappy that she was unhappy. She was the first nanny he genuinely liked and her not liking him back was a terrible thought. He'd never cared when his parents were disappointed in him because he couldn't find it in himself to respect them or care about their opinions in regards to his actions. Any chances of him doing so had been dashed thoroughly years ago. Harry was different than them though. She proved it with every minute that passed them by. he wanted her to want to stay.

"So you wear the mask because you have some scars you want to hide?"

"I'm hideous."

Harry frowned, but didn't follow that line of thought any further, which made him feel a lot better. He didn't want to talk too much about himself at the moment.

Remembering their deal, he decided to ask, "Are you a pagan?"

The woman snorted. "I've never been asked that before. Hm… my relatives didn't want to take me to church. They hated magic and all things abnormal and believed I was a freak and God didn't want me. So I never formed a religious belief in Christianity or anything like it. And then I found out about magic and me being a witch, and I went to Great Britain and Ireland's premier magical school and learned more about the community. A high percentage of them tend to believe in Hecate or Circe as the mother of all magic and give praise to them and the Greek pantheon by extension.

"I've picked up their phrases and exclamations, but I don't personally believe them. It's like saying ' _oh my God_ ' because you've heard everybody use it all the time, whether they are Christian or not." She shrugged. "I believe there is  _something_  more than us out there, but I've got no name or face for it."

So  _not_  a pagan basically.

"Why do you keep using the child's voice?" Harry asked seconds later.

"Mummy and daddy preferred the doll to me. And the other nannies… needed to believe it was real so they'd do their jobs. But they never did. They broke the rules…" He trailed off, and the look of understanding on Harry's face made him feel… guilty. Not something usual for him. Ever.

Brahms didn't like guilt. It was a very sour feeling in his tummy and he wanted it to stop. It could ruin a good day.

"Hmm…"

"...What?"

Her head tilted, eyes narrowed. "I'm trying to determine where you're at mentally. You seem to have an adult grasp on certain topics, but a childlike grasp on others. The need for story-time and goodnight kisses tells me you didn't get those growing up so you're obsessed with them now, even if only the doll version of you is getting them."

His discomfort was rising the more she spoke. He wanted to go and hide in the walls! He didn't want to hear what she had to say!

"Also this obsessive need to follow rules is very childish. Some rules are meant to be questioned or broken. I take it your parents, if they ever bothered to interact with the real you, did not talk to you like you were also a grown person who was changing with time and experience?"

Brahms shook his head. Mummy had wanted her little boy to stay little. But she preferred the doll still. And since the doll would be forever young, of course she would want that over her real son.

Harry took a long drink of her tea, finishing it off and then floating the kettle over to pour herself another cup. By then though, it had gone cold after sitting for so long. But she didn't even seem fazed as she waved a hand over the rim and the liquid inside began steaming.

More proof that she was a witch. Heating up tea with a wave of the hand and making more things float.

"I suppose the biggest thing we have to confront is how to handle you from now on," she said, looking him directly in the eye.

" _What_?" was all he could find in him to say. His voice had been faint, almost too low for him to even hear.

"Do you want to be treated like a little boy or a grown man?" asked Harry frankly. "If you want to be a little boy, then you will be treated as one. Not the doll, just you. That means an early bedtime of eight o'clock. A certain diet for growing children. School from eight to three with a lunch break at eleven and a nap at noon. Homework to finish. Assignments to do. Bath-time in the mornings and evenings. You will only be allowed to listen to certain music. Only be allowed to read certain books and watch certain films. There will be limited consumption of sweets weekly. You will not be allowed to use certain words. You can only drink water, milk, or juice. You can only play when your homework is finished.

"You will be put in the corner, or grounded to a specific bedroom of choice as punishment and all privileges will be taken as well. You might even get soap on the tongue for foul language or backbiting. I may even make you do lines if it's necessary." She sounded so monotone while saying it that it made him even more uncomfortable.

The rules for being a child sounded horrible! She'd said them all so seriously too, meaning she fully intended to follow through with the new schedule and rules she made up if Brahms decided he wanted to stay as a little boy. And she had magic to make sure he did as he was told!

"If you wish to be a grown man, you typically are considered mature enough to handle your own dietary needs, bedtime, and hygiene. No curfew. No general punishments for misbehaviour. No schoolwork and anything that comes with it. And you can eat and drink anything you want. Even take in certain materials and participate in certain special activities too mature for children."

At the last example, her voice had gotten lower and more smooth, and she'd reached out to trail a finger down his arm, making the hairs raise and his body grow warm everywhere. He knew what she was referring to. Even if he had next to no experience, he'd sneaked around enough and rifled through his parents' possessions enough to know about sex and pleasure.

Little boys weren't allowed to know about that. But Brahms liked touching himself in his own bed. And if he chose to be treated like a child by Harry, she wouldn't let him do that possibly ever again. And she'd ground him to his room.

"I want to be a man," he told her, voice shaky. "But… I might need some help." He'd never been taught how to be one. Mummy had gone spare when she found out daddy wanted to teach him how to shave.

Harry smiled. A charming thing spreading her sweet lips and making him feel self-conscious once more and no one had ever smiled at him that way. "That I can do."

* * *

When Teddy eventually made it to the kitchen for breakfast that morning, it was to find Harry serving three plates of breakfast. She'd decided to let him sleep in for the day because things were going to be changing around the house and no longer was it necessary for him to wake up at seven!

The boy didn't even blink upon seeing a stranger sat at the counter, he merely sniffed, took his seat with the doll beside him, and said, "You're the one I've been smelling in the walls."

And Brahms, a bundle of nerves and worries, managed a jerky nod in answer. He didn't  _turn_  to look at the boy but his eyes had trailed over anyway. Curious despite his obvious fear.

"This is Brahms Heelshire, Teddy," Harry explained as she placed a plate of bangers and mash and a cup of milk in front of him. "He supposedly died twenty-something years ago but it was faked to save the family's reputation over a concerning event he was a part of."

Her godson, never one to be slow on the uptake, merely blinked and said, "You killed someone?"

Brahms looked to Harry instantly, and she gave a shrug. Teddy wasn't stupid. Maybe not technically a genius by anyone's standards, but he was a smart kid who liked to read ahead on his own time and learn.

"Yes," the man answered timidly.

Teddy hummed as he began cutting up his food into more manageable pieces. "Harry's helped other people who've done bad things, to turn their lives around. She can help you too." Of course he meant the Malfoys. Excluding Draco, who had technically been a minor the entire time, both of his parents had done horrible things and been passive in the face of other atrocities happening whether directly in front of them or at least somewhere in their own home.

And yet Harry bloody Potter - wanting to believe that people could change, and suffering from her ' _saving-people-thing_ ' as Hermione called it - decided to fight to get them a lower punishment on the promise of good behaviour and a desire to change for the better. It had been eight years and they appeared to have indeed changed for the better.

And they weren't the only people Harry had assisted onto a better path. So if she was willing to help her school bully's family, who had done nothing but treat her terribly and basically be the wizard-equivalent of nazis most of their lives, why wouldn't she try to help a mentally fucked up man whose parents might have tried to commit filicide because he simply did something  _he learned from them_ , that nearly cost them their good reputation?

It was a ' _no brainer_ ' as Americans would say.

Besides, Brahms' list of offenses was much smaller than Lucius Malfoy's was. Harry not wanting to help him would be very hypocritical. And it wasn't her job or anything, but she just  _felt_  like helping Brahms Heelshire was important.

Brahms looked between godmother and godson, unsure of where exactly he fit into everything. Harry simply smiled at him to hopefully keep him calm, and gestured to his food that he had yet to touch. "You should eat and then sleep. You've been up for hours and I did interrupt your nightly scavenge for food."

There was absolute terror in his eyes, and Harry wondered just how bad his face had to be if he was that terrified to show it to other people. He probably hadn't received proper medical care for it either if he had to pretend to be dead.

"I'm hideous," he decided to say for what felt like the millionth time already.

Teddy pouted. "How 'bout I show you some cool magic and in exchange, you take off your mask and eat with us?"

Brahms looked caught between intrigue and fear, eyes trailing back and forth with indecision. Eventually, his interest won out and he nodded slowly.

Instantly, Teddy's hair bled bright pink, making Brahms pull away from the table in shock and almost fall off his chair. The pink morphed into purple and then blue and then black again. The boy's face scrunched up in the center and lengthened into an elephant trunk that even made noise as it moved. The trunk shrank into a pig snout, much like Tonks would use to entertain others with.

Her godson ran through all the skills he had managed to teach himself, and beamed at Brahms, awaiting his expected praise.

"You did a very good job," Harry told him earnestly, since he  _had_  gotten better at the transitions from colour to colour and animal to animal. "I really liked the purple and blue ombré you did with your hair."

Across from Teddy, Brahms simply stared, mouth agape. " _How_?" he asked quietly.

Harry shrugged. "Some magicals are born with extra skills. I have a limited version of it that basically lets me grow my hair out really long if it ever gets too short, but that's it.  _My_  skill is talking to snakes." Never mind that it originally hadn't been hers, but she still had it nonetheless. And she'd probably pass it on to any children she personally had in the future. Slytherin still lived on in Britain in some form.

On a side note, in deciding to bring Brahms into their world, they had essentially claimed him as family in some way. She wasn't sure how things would progress, but that part of the relationship would have to be settled before anyone at the Ministry found out so they couldn't Obliviate him and cause problems. And many people would literally jump at the chance to cause Harry Potter some problems so they could trap her in unsavoury situations.

Brahms' hands touched his mask lightly. Harry pretended she didn't notice how hard they were shaking. He was honouring his part of the deal, which was good of him. Even if it terrified him to do so.

The mask slipped off his head, revealing… a face that was about ⅜ of the way scarred and really not all that badly in Harry's opinion. It looked better than Bill's scratches. Sure the skin was discoloured and a bit warped in a sense, but it only started about halfway up the right cheek and covered the right ear as well as half of the forehead and eyelid. And the ear was a bit shriveled in a sense because of it, but his hair was long and curly, and could easily be styled to hide that bit if he wanted to.

Also, she could finally see his eyes clearly! They were a grey/blue that looked dark in darker lighting, but light in brighter lighting. Not quite like Sirius' grey had been, but also not like how bright the blue of Tom's had been either. In between somehow.

Harry made certain to smile encouragingly as she dug into her own food.

And Teddy? Teddy's hair instantly lengthened and darkened, curling into various directions to resemble Brahms' own messy hair. His golden brown eyes turned blue/grey and the bridge of his nose widened a little while his cheekbones became more pronounced. Eventually, a mini Brahms was sat across from the real Brahms, looking more like him than even the doll managed to.

While Brahms struggled to find words, Harry hummed. "Well you've got Teddy's stamp of approval. If he decides to use part of your appearance, that means he likes you. For ages he was using my hair but it seems he has a new favourite."

And wasn't that something?

Harry was curious to see how things would progress from now on.

* * *

  **~.O.~**

* * *

**A/N: Another is done!**

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

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	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introspection and emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -The chapter was mostly finished already but felt like it was missing something. I JUST added 600 words and now it's good. ^-^
> 
> -Teddy is very mature for a kid, but their thought process rivals mine when I was their age.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Harry Potter of The Boy.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

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* * *

**~.O.~**

* * *

Ever since the routine changed with the proper introduction of Brahms into their lives, Harry had been doing a lot of thinking.

He was very self-conscious over his scars and still preferred to wear the mask everywhere. In his mind, he believed the mask to be pretty - it really wasn't though and she wasn't sure of how to convince him of this fact - and therefore it was something people would prefer to see compared to his actual face. Clear skin did not mean someone was attractive.

She'd found it rather sad, which was why she had pulled out her book of potions recipes and had begun the hunt for a burn balm. One that would moisturise the skin as well as reduce the damage and lighten the marks. After locating the recipe, she had to see if she had the ingredients on hand or not.

As it was magical in nature, the balm should work a lot better than a muggle one would. Hopefully. She wanted to finish making it first before telling him about it. Just in case she fucked up and had to take longer. She didn't want to get his hopes up only to dash them unexpectedly due to unforeseen circumstances.

Her skill in potions had improved over the years, but she still wanted to be on the safe side. Having high expectations made destroying them even more painful, as she had learned.

They all had a new schedule. Since Brahms decided he wanted to be treated like a man, the schedule for the doll was nixed entirely and Teddy's old schedule came back in full force. It was a lot easier to follow but still shared some basics from the Brahms doll's schedule.

Despite the whole change, Brahms was still… lacking in comfort. He wanted to listen to the bedtime stories. And he wasn't very good with physical contact. He was touch-starved and lonely and Harry was endlessly aggravated over how he came to be that way.

It was like a slap in the face. Don't judge a book by its cover meant more than assuming the worst of people based upon their appearance. It also meant not assuming the best of them based on their appearance. The whole Heelshire family was pretty fucked up in their own way and the parents were not better than they son just because he committed those seven murders and they didn't.

Frankly, their poor examples and deciding to help him after burning him alive failed, and their declining parenting skills, were enough to make her very unhappy.

Harry could understand. After spending so many years living in a cupboard and never being hugged, she longed for that kind of contact and would practically melt when Teddy tackled her for affection. Unfortunately, she felt uncomfortable receiving such attention from adults, but that was mostly because her whole life adults had been proven to be rather useless and untrustworthy with few outliers here and there. And Harry still struggled with the reality that she was no longer a teenager and was an adult herself.

Basically, trusting adults to not be inept backstabbers was very difficult, which was why she struggled to even allow her friends to hug her. Harry couldn't simply bare her emotions to people because she couldn't trust that they'd handle them properly. Vulnerability was hard.

Also, according to certain individuals, Harry was still the height of a bloody fourteen year old while her best mates had sprouted up there to tower over her by at least 32 cm in Hermione's case, and 39 cm in Ron's. Feeling like a teen still was hard to avoid when perfect strangers would ask why she was skiving off school.

* * *

Teddy saw a lot. Much more than adults seemed to think they did. Often being on their own, Teddy had to find ways to be entertained without becoming a bother. And they knew no one in their family would ever say they were a bother but it was still a thing that couldn't be ignored.

Roaming Diagon Alley and seeing how other children behaved for their parents/guardians made Teddy determined to be easier to handle. Seeing how haggard some of the parents looked whenever their kids would act up made Teddy sad. Especially as so many hadn't gotten over the war yet.

And sometimes it was embarrassing. Teddy wouldn't be involved but they'd still be embarrassed because of how  _other_  kids were acting. It couldn't be stopped or managed without Teddy vanishing from the public.

As such, Teddy preferred to be quiet and watchful. Also there just weren't any reasons to fill a non-awkward silence with noise. If there was nothing to say, why speak at all?

Harry thought Teddy's thought process to be a bit weird but she didn't say it was bad. And Gran... well... Gran wasn't doing well enough to notice much else beyond her own sadness.

Teddy was aware of why they had to live with Harry now. It was sad but it was better this way. For many reasons.

Andromeda wasn't well and she was ' ** _languishing_** '. Nothing was helping and Teddy knew she was trying to keep her chin up but wasn't succeeding very well. Without Teddy around, Gran might finally stop feeling like she had to linger where she wasn't happy.

Death wasn't something that confused Teddy. Aunt Mione gave them a good talk once after watching old Disney animations and seeing characters die. As Mione was the one with the DVD player and knew how to use it correctly, Teddy saw the films at her house and they'd had a lot of questions.

Getting answers was great but that didn't stop the desire for more information. In came the muggle, English dictionary. So by age eight, Teddy knew about Death and Suicide and Depression and Sex.

That meant they knew just how bad Andromeda had gotten since the war had ended. While they didn't want her to go, they didn't want her to stay somewhere she wasn't happy. So without Teddy around and the responsibility of their well-being handed over to another person who was responsible enough to handle it, she wouldn't have to fight anymore. And she could see Teddy's mum and grandfather again.

It was kind of sad to think about but Teddy had come to terms with it already and knew that Harry had too.

Harry was doing a lot better when not surrounded by magical people every day. She had calmed down a lot and without the marriage proposals cluttering her desk, she was less stressed. Looked less old. She wasn't even thirty, she shouldn't look so old yet!

It was the men who wanted their Lordships and needed to marry well to finally get them. And while there were many options, being attached to the Woman-Who-Conquered would make them ' ** _famous by association_** '. Teddy hadn't approved of any of them of course. While it wasn't their choice who Harry went around courting/dating, their opinion still mattered. Harry had said she'd never date someone that Teddy didn't get on with. So while it wasn't Teddy's decision in a sense, Teddy's opinion  _did_  matter more than others.

And now a there was another man who was very much interested in Harry except this one wasn't annoying like the others.

Brahms was like Teddy in some ways and like cousin Draco in others. But without the whinging and not as rich either. And not as obnoxious too. Enough that Brahms probably didn't understand just how  _much_  he liked Harry. Which was a lot.

Teddy wondered when he'd get with it. Or if Harry would first? So far he wouldn't mind if Brahms was brave enough to try and date Harry. He just wasn't sure Brahms even knew what dating was.

Sometimes it was hard to understand Brahms.

Teddy saw a lot. Much more than adults seemed to think they did.

* * *

"Harry… were you really in a war?"

He had to ask because ever since learning about magic and witchcraft and the weird things that Teddy and Harry could do by just thinking hard enough, he'd been thinking long and hard about what he'd heard her say and seen her do. And it was a lot to parse through.

The woman, only two years younger than him, hummed and nodded. "Not a non-magical one. Back in the seventies and eighties there was a wizarding war headed up by a magical dictator you could say. It ended in '91 with his supposed death. He then resurrected himself in 2004, and started it up once again.

"In '91 he came to my family's home to kill me because of a prophecy saying I would have the power to kill him at some point. My mum stood between us and refused to move when he told her to. He killed her and because he promised someone else he  _wouldn't_  kill her, and she didn't take the repeated offer to stay alive, when he attacked, his attack backfired and hit him instead and destroyed him for the most part. But he'd been scared of dying so prior to that event he had taken drastic measures to obtain immortality and therefore wasn't dead, just powerless. He gained power again, got a body once more, and restarted the war, with his main goal being to kill me. So I had to either fight him, die, or spend my whole life running away. I killed him for good eight years ago this coming May."

That was a lot to process in such a short amount of time. There had been a secret war going on within Britain and no one had known about it? At all?

Harry smirked. "Did you hear about the string of gas leaks that lead to explosions that were rumoured to be a terrorist cell's doing? Or how national landmarks were somehow being destroyed without anyone seeing the culprits behind the attacks?"

He nodded. He had happened on a very irregular schedule in the last forty years or so and had been enough to even aggravate his father. Something about it  _' **interfering with hard business**_ '. That was all caused by magic?

"Basically, the dictator's followers were committing murders and other acts of violence and our Ministry had to disguise them, but because non-magical technology is advancing rapidly, fires caused by gas leaks would help hide most of the evidence if there was barely anything left behind. And any witnesses were mind-wiped essentially given fake memories to recount to the authorities so our secret could remain safe."

' ** _Mind-wiped_** ' rang clear in his head. "You mean… you can take people's memories away and implant new ones?" It sounded horrifying when put to words!

She nodded and rushed to explain, "I mean- we can learn to if we take the proper courses, which I didn't of course. I can barely protect my own mind from external penetration, willing delving into another's mind and rummaging through what you find is even more work. I can't do that. There is a specific team of people in the Ministry who specialise in it though. So we need to be careful that no one finds out that you know about magic or they will mind-whammy you and imprison me for letting you know about it."

He didn't want that!

He didn't want to forget Harry and Teddy.

And he didn't want either of them to get into trouble either.

But there was so much he was curious about when it came to Harry! He couldn't just not ask questions when he had so many!

Harry grinned, before leaning over the arm of the sofa to call out to her godson, who was busying putting together a magical puzzle with the doll he had become so fond of. Brahms had heard Teddy call it his ' _ **imaginary friend**_ '. And after Harry enchanted it to at least be capable of basic movement, he could understand why. It was almost like a real person.

"Cub, can you go grab your collection of Witches and Wizards Cards for Brahms to read through? I'd like to answer questions, but I wasn't the best at History of Magic and they'd do far better than me at answering him."

The boy nodded, jumping up and running off to accomplish said task. He'd taken the doll with him. Teddy never went anywhere without it even beyond the rules basically being thrown out.

"It's like a trading card game," she explained to Brahms. "Photos of the people and blurbs of info on them. And depending on the status, Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Diamond, you'll get different blurbs of info. And the cards are worth a bit of money as they are dusted with a form of the stone they represent and then laminated the magical way. So Gold cards have a gold shimmer from gold dust used on them and it makes them worth more than a common card. Same with the others. Teddy's collection is enormous and ordered by number and then status so be ready for it."

And just like that, the little boy was back with a very large photo album in hand, and plopped it down on Brahms' lap. On the cover, was a card the size of his hand, finger to palm, and in the shape of a pentagon. In the center was a moving photo of Harry herself that cut off at the waist, blinking up at him. She wore some odd, dress-like clothing in a dark shade of black. Her right arm was crossed over her chest and in her hand was an oddly shaped, white stick.

Just as he was realising the stick was most likely a wand, the photo of Harry moved! Harry shifted in the small frame, her serious face blooming into a heart-stopping smile and her stance changing so she could give the viewer a small bow.

Teddy removed the card from the little front pocket it was in so he could read the back which bore fanciful script in silvery text.

**Hariel Jamie Potter-Black**  
**#000 Diamond**  
**Girl-Who-Lived**  
**Woman-Who-Conquered**

_**Most known for her defeat of the Dark Lord** _   
_**Voldemort on 31 Oct 1991 and then again on** _   
_**2 May 2008.** _

**MOST NOTABLE SKILLS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS:**

**-Hatstall. She was considered for each Hogwarts House.**  
**-Adept Quidditch Seeker without any prior training.**  
**-Highest O.W.L. score for DADA in British history.**  
**-Mastered the Patronus Charm at age thirteen.**  
**-Won the TriWizard Tournament at fourteen.**  
**-She still retains her Parseltongue ability.**  
**-Has immunity to the Imperius Curse.**  
**-Survived the Killing Curse twice.**

_**Prefers to be known as Harry.** _   
_**Fancies treacle tart. Head of** _   
_**both the Potter and Black** _   
_**families. Considered an** _   
_**honorary Weasley.** _

"That's a limited edition one," said Harry, leaning over him slightly to get a better look at it. And Brahms… unused to people getting in his personal space, froze as she spoke. She smelled so nice and he felt so awkward! "They only made seven of them, and I got the very first because it's me. Seven is a very powerful magical number and a lot superstitions revolve around it. I didn't really want the card so I gave it to Teddy for keeps and bragging purposes."

Brahms slid the card, face up, back into the pouch it was originally in. He then flipped open the book and started directly at the other cards. 00 and 0 were on Page One. And there seemed to be many pages to work through. He settled himself in for a long afternoon of reading.

* * *

It was finished! Harry stared at the container of balm she'd finally managed to finish, and was proud of herself. It was white, and smelled faintly of various fruits, and could be passed off as a lotion or a body wash easily in case some nosy muggles came around. It also meant that getting Brahms to use it wouldn't be as difficult as she had originally anticipated.

When he appeared for breakfast that morning, silent as always, Harry presented him with the container and a smile and said, "For you. It's a magical balm that you should use after every shower so long as you used hot water. It rejuvenates and moisturises the skin. And it should be used until there's nothing left. I'll make more if it's necessary."

His look of concern died only slightly, so she laid the rest out for him. "This one in particular will also lighten scars made from burns, no matter how old they are."

There was a moment of pure silence between them, where Brahms' hands began to shake a little. And then he stepped forward and pulled Harry into a very tight embrace that didn't make her feel claustrophobic nor uncomfortable. That was a rare thing. Usually she could only have taken a hug from Luna or Mione, or the twins.

"Thank you, Harry," he murmured into her hair.

It was in that moment, that Harry was officially made aware of the fact that Brahms was indeed a grown man, and despite living behind the walls for twenty-something years, he was very fit. His body was long and hard against her own, more dainty self. His hands were enormous, one placed on the back of her head to hold her close and easily cradling it without issue.

She felt her own body react for the first time to Brahms, suddenly very much aware of him as a man and her as a woman. This wasn't like with Cho. And it was probably because until this moment, she been viewing him somewhat as a child who needed guidance, but he'd been coming along nicely and seemed more willing to spend time outside of the walls and taking better care of himself and exploring the world at his own pace.

There had been progress. He was more man now than he had been before. Harry wasn't attracted to children after all and his mannerisms had made her think of a child around Teddy's age even.

It all made perfect sense!

She gave him a few reassuring pats on the back, and went back to serving up breakfast which was just some basic fruit smoothies with toast for that particular morning.

Harry was giddy over watching the transformation that would slowly take over. Things like this were practically made for audiences.

At any time, Harry could have made herself a special salve for her own scars, she just didn't care enough about them. And she had a relatively decent face, so the scar Voldemort had given her didn't hinder her ability to leave the house. And the only people to ever mock said 'deforming' scar were people she didn't even like, so why would their opinion mean a damn thing?

Brahms' scars were hindering his self-confidence and ability to be around people. The reason he was ' ** _never to leave_** ' was because he was ' _ **hideous**_ ' and would be ' _ **terrifying to people**_ '. And it was an unfortunate truth that people would judge him based upon appearances first, no matter how even the nicest person would claim to not care about looks first.

Society had been like this since the beginning of time and nothing changed. She didn't see it changing any time soon either.

If she could help him in this smallest of ways, then maybe he'd be able to start a new life and leave behind this whole mess of a manor. Leave his trauma behind him. It was like Snape in a way. A place that should have been a place of safety, ended up just being a constant reminder of everything he'd suffered from and everything he'd lost. Healing began with distancing oneself from the things harming you.

Brahms needed healing in many ways and was slowly coming around to that reality.

It would take a lot of time and effort, and there were sure to be some very bad days in there somewhere, but Harry decided that she was going to look at the positives.

* * *

  **~.O.~**

* * *

**A/N: Another is done!**

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

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	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brahms comes clean...ish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -I forgot I had this chapter finished already and when I looked in my docs it was there and I was Oh Yeah, I'm Posting That Fic! So, sorry for the wait.

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Harry Potter of The Boy.**

**I have no beta.**

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* * *

**~.O.~**

* * *

Brahms loved magic. Sure it had been fascinating already, but the fact that Harry had been able to make something for him that would lessen the severity of his scarring, when nothing else had ever managed to, was astounding! The fact that magic could heal something that old. Something that he'd given up hope on.

It had been a week since she'd given him such a precious gift. He'd made certain to shower twice a day so he could apply the balm right afterward. Something about the skin being softened beneath the hot water of a good shower and the pores opening up making the scarred areas more receptive to the healing powers of the balm she'd made. She'd been dead serious when telling him how to apply it.

And he could honestly see a difference. The reddish/brown markings all over the right side of his face, right shoulder, and side were fading. And not just that, the skin was smoothing out and it was lacking the thickness the scars had gained after so long. It felt less like leather and more like actual human skin. And there seemed to be some elasticity returning as well!

He wasn't anywhere near finished with the balm nor was the healing finished, but it was clearly on its way. And _any_ progress was good progress.

He felt more comfortable without his mask. And with Harry and Teddy, he'd already been pretty comfortable about it since neither had ever flinched when looking at him nor did they wail about how ' _hideous_ ' he was and how he offended their eyes. Their eyes also didn't linger on the marks whenever they looked at him. It was just as if they were there and that was it.

With all the massive changes in his life recently, Brahms felt as if there wasn't enough time to truly grasp everything for what it was. Things were happening so fast every day.

His parents had left him a letter essentially explaining away their guilt and telling him Harry was his to keep. At first he hadn't been fazed by their words and had even been very excited about having Harry all to himself. But… Harry didn't seem like a person who could just be owned. And he'd learned that very quickly with how take-charge she was and how she didn't take unfounded arguments well.

That was why he'd been so fixated on making her want to stay. And now that he knew that he literally didn't have the power to keep her at the manor, he had to work even harder than he'd already been planning to.

His parents were going to kill themselves to escape their own guilt. Or they were dead already, he didn't care though. It had been years since he'd cared about them, because they'd stopped truly caring for him.

Eventually, the letter assured him that their attorney would be coming by with an offer to leave everything in Harry's name. Since Brahms wasn't a living person according to the law, he couldn't inherit the manor and all that came with it. So it would have to be Harry, otherwise it would fall into another's hands, and then what would Brahms do? How would he disappear food without getting caught? Most people would probably call the police if they suspected a break in or a thief, and policemen had dogs. He wasn't a big fan of dogs.

Brahms was unsure of how to bring this up to Harry, because he knew it was only right to tell her before Pickerton dropped in on them like some unwanted spectre. The man looked like he'd been dead for thirty years and hadn't changed in the least. He'd always unnerved Brahms as a child, and even now. But Brahms was certain he was a mafia lawyer, which would explain why his parents knew him so well. Pickerton never lost and knew the right words to say to keep people guessing. He was creepy.

He'd been in the lounge for a while that day, ruminating on what to do while Harry reclined on the other sofa, reading a book, when Teddy came in, the Brahms doll following behind in its awkward, enchanted gait. Not exactly human enough, but still good enough to get from place to place on its own. The boy refused to go anywhere without it shadowing his every step.

"Harry, why do I have to wear trousers?" the pink-haired boy asked his godmother out of the blue, making both adults look to each other in confusion. Brahms had no idea how to respond to that.

"Well… public indecency is frowned upon in most societies," Harry answered, closing her book in order to give Teddy her undivided attention. That was something Brahms admired. She treated the boy like an actual person and not an invalid. He always got her full attention.

Teddy shook his head. "No, I know why we have to wear clothes, but why can't I wear dresses? Why do some of the ladies in Diagon Alley say I can't wear dresses? Aunt Parvati's dad wear clothes that _look_ like dresses and no one says he can't. And dress robes look like dresses too and no one says boys can't wear those. Why are clothes that  _look_  like dresses okay but not actual dresses be okay for boys?"

Harry looked as confused as Brahms felt. Where did this line of questioning even come from? What had he been doing to have this thought pop into his head all of a sudden?

"I suppose it's all gender related, cub," said Harry. "For a long time, girls wearing skirts and dresses, and boys wearing trousers, was the norm."

"But all the girls I know don't wear dresses, they wear trousers and no one says they can't," the boy pointed out.

"Yeah, but there was a lot of fighting decades ago so they  _could_  do it. And to this day there are many people who don't agree with the choice."

Teddy was silent for a moment, looking down at the paisley carpet as he tried to put his thoughts in order. "But if boys wear trousers and girls wear dresses, then I should be allowed to wear whatever I want because I was born as both."

Brahms looked to Harry for confirmation because he hadn't know that was something that was possible. She sent him a minute nod. "Teddy's a Metamorphmagus. They're born with extra parts and incomplete parts and their bodies fluctuate until they have full control in their twenties and can decide what they want. Some days his body is like yours, some days it's like mine, and some days it's like an amalgamation of the two, plus extra bits. He can't control it very well right now."

Magic could do so many interesting things that he never would have considered before!

"Do you  _want_  to wear dresses, cub?" Harry asked the boy in front of them, getting to the crux of the matter.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I was dressing the doll and just thinking about how antsy people get over fabric. Especially colours of fabric. A lady argued over me getting purple shirts because it's a girl's colour. Why can only girls have purple stuff? Why are colours seger- srege- se-gre-gra-ted to certain genders?"

The struggle over saying the word ' _segregated_ ' just made the boy's frustration adorable in Brahms' eyes. Of course he didn't say anything about it, not wanting to embarrass the child, but it was indeed cute.

"First off, it's segregated, and second, I can't really explain it cub. It's just something that's always been shoved down our throats, mostly for religious reasons I'm sure. But if you want purple clothes or dresses or whatever, you can have them. I don't care. As long as you don't expect  _me_  to start wearing dresses, then it's all fine."

"Hm," the boy hummed, nodding slightly. "Thanks, Harry!" He turned and ran off, the doll following behind him at a safer pace so as to avoid any possible damage. Magic could fix it if it broke but why waste the energy, or so Harry explained to him once.

Harry sent Brahms a look and said, "I hate dresses. Never wore them growing up because my relatives didn't want to spend more money on me. So I wore my fat cousin's cast offs. The only time I wore a dress was to the Yule Ball when I was fourteen and I hated it and it will never be a repeated experience. Getting in and out of that monstrosity was hell."

It was a shame. Brahms was certain Harry would be lovely in a dress. She didn't even wear a nightgown or a housecoat to bed. She wore fuzzy pyjamas covered in little lions and had roaring lion slippers to walk around in.

It was best he didn't reveal how he knew that.

On to other matters, such as what was plaguing him before Teddy had come in with his unexpected questions and observations. "Harry, I have something I think you should see."

She looked expectant and not in the least bit concerned, which made him feel a bit less likely to vomit all over the sofa and carpet. Her casual acceptance of everything and anything was a relief for him. His anxiety made him a wreck.

Carefully, and with no small amount of shaking, he withdrew his parents' letter from his cardigan pocket and handed it over. He was anxious over what her reaction would be considering he knew the contents therein weren't of the kind of attitude that polite society expected of common citizens. Or just anyone in general.

Harry's eyes flickered over the sparse amount of words. There were less than two hundred, written in his mother's performative script, on old parchment no less. There had been a blood red, wax seal on the envelope with the crest of their family stamped in the center. So much pomp for someone they gave the barest of materials to for twenty years. Unnecessary and worthless to him.

"Your parents," Harry began, pausing as she considered her next words, "are fucked up."

He couldn't find it in himself to deny the claim. Though he wondered her personal reasoning. He had his own reasons for disliking them.

"But this proves wholeheartedly that your behaviour was learned. This isn't some kind of illness or predisposition to psychopathy that caused all these ideas to form in your head, this was you soaking in and then emulating their examples. And they never told you to stop so they didn't find your actions to be that terrible. But now they're running from their own actions and in the end, if you were to get caught, only you would take the blame and would be painted as a madman who held them against their will and forced their compliance."

She rolled her eyes and slapped the letter down on the empty sofa seat beside her. "I'll sign the bloody paperwork for the house, don't worry Brahms. After that, we can get some Goblins out here to check the house over and add some protections. For a fee of course. Maybe even reconstruct some things to change the layout a bit. It's nicer living here than it is in London.

"I have a townhouse there, a villa in Russia, a chateau in France, and a condo in California. But I kind of like it here most. No one but Ron and Mione know about this place whereas the others are public record unfortunately. People I don't like can visit me at those addresses."

She was staying! Everything else she'd said was important sure, but he was just so elated over the fact that she was going to stay! He felt as if he could fly and that weird, ill sensation that made him want to vomit was gone!

"However, just because we'll still be living here, doesn't mean you should only stay inside for the rest of your life. There is a world out there and you need to be made aware of how things have changed through personal experience."

The thought of leaving the grounds made him nervous. He hadn't been outside in a long time, and no further the the front door in almost two decades.

"As you continue using the balm, your scars will lighten and the skin will rejuvenate. You'll be able to go into public when you deem yourself able. I would love to tell you that no one would care whether you're scarred or not, but the fact of the matter is that those who don't are the exception and not the rule, and they're few and far between. Humanity at its core is judgmental. If not in one way then in another entirely."

He knew that down to the marrow of his bones. In every film, in every book, the ugly/unappealing person was always relegated to comedic relief. There were rare exceptions where they weren't made into a walking joke and actually got a happy ending. And typically those with happy endings, required them to change everything about themselves until they looked acceptable enough to fit in.

If the character was fat, they only got love when they became thin. If the character was plain or ugly, they only got love when getting cosmetic surgery or wearing loads of makeup. If the character was visibly physically disabled they only got love when they could make their disability as invisible as possible. Same story time and again.

Only those who looked perfect and normal enough to blend in could be happy. At least that was what he got out of such things.

A warm hand on his shoulder made him flinch a bit, still unused to physical contact from others. It was Harry of course, and she was giving him an apologetic look. "Sorry that people are arseholes."

He snorted. She swore a lot. Brahms hadn't been allowed too. It ' _wasn't becoming of a young lad_ ' or so mummy had always whispered to the doll. And when he was always by himself, there had been no reason to talk at all. So why swear to himself?

"It's fine," he told the woman. "I don't expect acceptance. That's how I plan to avoid feeling disappointment." Now if only others could learn the same lessons as him.

Walking through life with low expectations made it very difficult for people to dash them.

Teddy came rushing back into the room then, gaining their attention once more and making the heavy subject fade away. He was swathed in a royal blue sheet from one of the linen cupboards, having twisted and turned the fabric until it resembled a dress of some sort.

Harry hummed. "Is there a reason for the impromptu fashion show, cub?"

"Do I look good in dresses?" the boy asked, posing with one hand behind his head and the other on his hip.

"I should have specified no slinky, form-fitting ones until you're of age. That design you're going for is way too old for you so it makes you look a bit odd, cub."

The boy huffed, undid the elaborate twists he'd made, revealing his clothes underneath, and proceeded to wrap the fabric a different way to try and fix the issue. "How 'bout now?"

"I mean… it just looks like a dress to me. You'd need to ask like Parvati because she was the fashion-conscious one of our dorm."

Teddy sagged and sighed. "Okay. Can you take some photos of me and send them to her?"

She smiled. "Sure, cub."

* * *

Harry opened the door for the man who was the Heelshire family's attorney. Alistair Oswald Pickerton looked like a man who had seen some shite and lived to keep the secrets close to the chest if he didn't want to die.

And when the finely-dressed, salt and pepper-haired man stepped foot into the foyer, he gave Harry a simple once-over and groaned. "Harry Potter? Really?"

Well then.

"You know of me?" Or more delicately put, you know of magic?

Alistair sighed, withdrew a white kerchief from his pocket, and dabbed his brow with it. "Of course I do. All the mob lawyers do. You'd be surprised how many of our people are attending Hogwarts right now. I presume you have your own attorney present?"

Harry gestured to the drawing room. Indeed, her own had arrived moments ago. "Ragnarok, you can drop the human disguise, he knows about magic!"

The Goblin's illusion melted away to reveal his true form complete with sharp as hell teeth and long, gnarled fingers. She could hear Pickerton gulp. No one ever dared to do bad business with Goblins. It was a foolish thought. A mob lawyer should know this very well.

"Lady Potter, do you fully understand what you are getting into by accepting this?" Pickerton asked as he sat in the seat she had pointed him toward. Beside him was Ragnarok in his own chair while Harry sat across from them on one of the many sofas. Between them was a coffee table of pristine buffed cherry wood with a tea set in place.

She nodded and looked toward the mirror on the wall across the room. "Brahms, would you like to join our conversation? It pertains to you after all."

Both lawyers turned to see the tall, much taller than Pickerton even, and broad-shouldered figure of Brahms stepping into the room just as the mirror slid back into place. Pickerton looked downright spooked while Ragnarok remained composed, if a little interested.

Brahms was wearing the mask as expected. He wasn't that confident in his appearance yet and that was fine.

When he took a careful seat beside her, Pickerton's jaw dropped just slightly. It dropped even further when Brahms looked to Harry for direction and received a nod. At that, he carefully removed his mask and set it on his lap, fingers clutching the porcelain tightly.

His scarred face, which was a lot lighter than when Harry had first met him, stared the lawyers down unblinking. Almost unnerving in a sense.

"Harry!" came the voice of Teddy as he rushed into the room, clad in a tutu and arms full of the Brahms doll. "The enchantment on the doll wore off."

With a wave of the hand, the doll jerked in the boy's hold. Teddy set it down and immediately it stood on its own. "Thanks, Harry!" the boy grinned as he ran off, the doll following him at a more moderate but slightly stilted pace.

"Now," began Harry with a charming smile as she completely ignored Pickerton's discomfort, "where do we begin?"

* * *

  **~.O.~**

* * *

**A/N: Another is done!**

**How was it? Let me know!**

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**See ya! :D**

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

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	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so begins the plan to reintroduce Brahms to the outside world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Brahms has a crush a mile wide and Harry might be aware of it.
> 
> -Everyone's reactions make me cackle!

**A/N: Hello, people!**

**I don't own Harry Potter of The Boy.**

**I have no beta.**

**ENJOY!**

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**~.O.~**

* * *

With the amount of times Pickerton had wiped his brow with a kerchief, Brahms expected the thing to be soaked by now. The negotiations had been rather easy in his opinion, especially since a mob lawyer who knew about magic, apparently knew it would be a bad idea to go against a Goblin and a powerful witch when they were in combination and he was all alone against them.

And Pickerton had to sign a magically binding agreement to not expose Harry's true identity. In any way he could deliberately or accidentally expose it. With methods Brahms wouldn't ever consider as options too.

Brahms learned that Harry had actually gone ahead and with the help of her Goblin lawyer, made a real alias for Harry Evans the child minder. The house would go under that name and all those specifics toward that particular face. Pickerton was sworn to silence over Harry's true identity and everyone involved in the deal. He couldn't even mention Brahms being alive to anyone.

Harry had thought that far ahead in so little time. Of course she had spent the better part of an hour kneeling in front of the green fire in the fireplace and talking to a disembodied head that was floating in it. They'd done all that planning then and there the day before Pickerton was set to arrive. Magic was really useful if it could speed things up so much.

"The house was paid off years ago," Pickerton explained as he shuffled through the papers in his case. He looked uncomfortable and jittery. "You won't have to pay a mortgage on it, just the expenses for the utilities. Unless you plan to use magic for that."

"Oh yeah," the woman agreed with a careless wave of the hand. "We'll be setting up wards for safety around the perimeter geared toward the general well-being of those within. They will help make the house look abandoned and unused to the nearby townsfolk if they get curious. This way no one will think to come up for a visit. And if someone gets too close, they'll find themselves getting a little foggy in the head and turning back the way they came with no question in their mind that they'd been meant to do something else."

It was a really smart plan to keep the privacy especially when there were such nosy people around. He couldn't believe that there was magic that could honestly make people see something that wasn't even there.

Brahms had no clue how they were going to keep the house running if there was no electricity or water running though. Things like that didn't just appear out of thin air. Right? Could magic do that?

Harry patted his arm and sent him a calming smile. "Magic can do a lot of things. I'm going to be setting up some very important objects in the backyard with the help of Gringotts. A reservoir for water and a dynamo, both crafted to handle magical water and magical lightning. The water will be summoned from the nearest body of water and then magically filtered of its impurities. The generator will need to be manually checked frequently to keep the spark going. Additional bits will see to it that it powers the house properly. Modern magicals who were unaware of their magical side while growing up, are using these methods now because they make more sense and save more money. The British Magical World is about 50/50 on this sort of practice and the ICW supports it so long as it remains secret."

Magic would never cease to amaze him. So many things it could do. So many ways it could be used to just live in safety.

And he was pretty sure it was illegal what she planned to do, which made even more funny than it already was. Being able to break the law and never get caught for it was a sort of emotional rush that couldn't be rivaled. Every day, Harry just seemed to become more and more amazing in his eyes.

"So what do I sign, Alistair?" the young woman asked, back into the business mind she'd displayed all afternoon.

Immediately, any kind of ease that Pickerton had managed to slip into in the wake of pleasant conversation about magic, flew out the window and he began to sweat again. The kerchief made an appearance many more times in the following hours.

It didn't escape Brahms' notice that the man never accepted any of the tea offered to him. Now that he knew about potions and how easy they were to slip to people, he couldn't blame the man.

He still found it funny though. Harry was a cross between beautiful and adorable and if one didn't know anything about her, upon first glance she didn't look like anything to be worried about. Seeing a large, grown man so wary of a small woman made it funnier.

* * *

Teddy's feet swung back and forth as he waited for his godmother to make him a hot fudge sundae. "So will he be able to come to Diagon Alley with us soon? I want to show him a bunch of stuff!"

Harry shrugged. "I don't really know, cub. Brahms hasn't been  _outside_ -outside in a very long time. I think we should focus first on exposing him to more people, then public spaces, and then Diagon Alley. Diagon has people  _and_  magic and it'll be a lot to take in at once I think."

That made sense. The street of Diagon Alley was always so crowded and for someone who hadn't been among people all that much in twenty years or so, he's probably not handle it well."

"So what do we have to do first?"

Harry plopped two big spoonfuls of chocolate into his dish and then sprinkled walnuts over them. Teddy didn't like strawberry ice cream so to make up for it, he got two servings of chocolate instead! "I think we'll get Madam Malkin here to make him some normal clothes. I don't think he'd handle clothes shopping much, especially if too many people get a good look at his body. He's not great with others in his personal space."

Yeah. Sometimes, certain people could get really handsy. Brahms would probably die if a group of people came at him with a tape measure. On the magic side it would just be one person and their magic would have all the materials bustling around, doing the menial work.

"He's wealthy too so he's most likely had some experience with his clothes being bespoke," added Harry as she spooned some hot fudge on the top of the hill of ice cream she'd made for him. "I don't think he'll find our kind of fitting to be uncomfortable. I'd do it myself but as I don't know how to do any of that stuff, I can't really help in that way."

Get Brahms some clothes so he could fit in like a normal human being, and once he was set up, then they could begin looking into taking him out.

Teddy loved the cinema whenever he got to go with Harry! And he liked fast food because it was a treat! He had all these ideas he wanted to share too.

"I can't wait to show Brahms all the cool stuff at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes!"

"Me too, cub. Me too."

* * *

It was a wet day outside when Brahms awoke. And he knew because he'd been relocated to a room on the second floor. Not his childhood bedroom, he didn't have the strength of will necessary to even go in there at the moment. Not when he felt like burning it all down. It wouldn't be the first time the room had burned. No, he had a different room now, not too far down the hall from Harry's.

When not living in the walls, the sound of the rainfall wasn't as loud as it usually was. Almost soothing in a sense actually. The curtains had been drawn but he'd heard it anyway. Could probably fall asleep to it if he wanted to.

Teddy was down in the lounge with the doll. The two were cuddled together on one of the sofas, watching Disney films. He hadn't let that doll go. Even with the list becoming null and void, he seemed to cling to the doll more and more as the days passed. Brahms wondered if that was a healthy mindset, though he wasn't the person to come to when it came to mental health.

Harry said something about Teddy not having any friends his age. Teddy's parentage made people wary when it came to allowing him to play with their children. Save for a few sort-of-cousins, he had no one else on his side. It probably explained why he was so quiet and thoughtful most of the time. Why he was willing to sit and read a Latin book without hesitation and why he stayed out of the way more often than not.

It made Brahms feel sad. The circumstances of Teddy's birth weren't his fault. And from what he heard Harry say, if he was actually a danger to anyone, then their Ministry would have done something about it already. Since they hadn't, that should have been good enough for the masses.

But it wasn't of course. The people professed to have faith in their leaders and then never trusted what they had to say. Foolish.

Harry was in the kitchen like usual, and she was busy cooking something savoury and it smelled delicious as always. He was tempted to filch some of it behind her back.

"I see  _someone_  finally decided to wake up," she said with a grin and an exaggerated flutter of her lashes.

Now while he had experienced sexual attraction, it had never been to someone in person. It was always photos he'd had experience with because it was all he could get his hands on. So the constant physical interest in Harry was almost disorienting. She spoke and his body would come alive to some extent. It was very embarrassing especially since it would be more obvious if he didn't hunch in on himself to cover it up. Harry wanted him to stop hunching too.

"We're getting you some new clothes today," she announced, interrupting his thoughts. "You need clothes of your own that are meant to fit you properly. Looking like a vagabond when it is unnecessary to do so is out of the question. Madam Malkin, my preferred seamstress, will be coming today at noon and you will be nice as she's been nothing but helpful to me all these years and she'll be quick in measuring you."

Brahms stiffened at the thought of more people he didn't even know coming into the house. He'd barely managed the lawyers last week! And now he had to meet more new people?

Harry turned away from the stove to place a small but warm hand on his forearm. He was momentarily caught by how small she was in comparison to him. He could wrap himself completely around her easily if he wanted. The thought made his body warm. "It's for a good cause, I promise. I want to introduce you to Hermione and Ron soon, and then I want to be able to take you out with us. It wouldn't be fair to just leave you behind if we decided to go out and have a good time."

His parents had no problem doing it, so he hadn't considered something like that.

Though the fact that they wanted to bring him even further into their lives and expose him to more personal things was touching. Made him feel wanted. Something he hadn't felt in a very long time.

The hand on his arm moved moved up and down a bit, almost soothing. "Are you okay with this?" Harry asked, green eyes looking up at him imploringly.

And he found himself nodding. Harry wanted to include him and he wanted to be included, even if it would be a great challenge. It would be for a good cause in the end.

And he had to make a good impression on her friends too. It wouldn't do for the people she'd fought in a war with, didn't like him and wanted her far away from him. They had a better hold on her heart than Brahms could ever hope to have.

Wait. Did he even  _want_  Harry's heart?

His gaze flickered toward her for a second, and was caught immediately because she was still staring up at him. He felt flushed and embarrassed over being caught staring so easily.

Well… she was the one doing all the staring actually. He'd just looked at her briefly.

Where had his thoughts been going?

Harry beamed up at him and leaned in. Automatically, he found himself leaning down and accepting the very gentle kiss she intended to place on his cheek. On his right cheek. On the cheek that had been in the flames and had been left scarred for so long.

And while it wasn't so scarred any longer, the skin still felt delicate and new and fresh. It was sensitive and tingled when it was touched. And Harry's touch was unlike any other kind.

"Thanks, Brahms."

His mouth was dry.

* * *

Having Brahms fitted for a new wardrobe wasn't as difficult as Harry had internally dreaded it would be. He knew how to stand and what to say when asked questions, even if his voice was a bit rough and thick. He twitched every so often and looked a bit uncomfortable, but he was doing so much better and she was proud! She planned to make him something to celebrate!

Maybe a nice triple layer cake.

And when he was finished, he didn't rush off to hide in the walls either! Progress!

"Cub," Harry said, gesturing to Teddy who had been watching the whole time but had remained quiet, "do you have anything you want to ask of Madam Malkin's expertise?"

The boy's eyes went wide instantly and he jumped up and bounced on over. "Madam Malkin, can I please get fitted for some dresses? I want pretty dresses with billowy skirts! In purple and blue because they're such nice colours.  _Please_?" the boy added at the end, his excitement almost too much to keep up with. The puppy eyes were the icing on the cake too.

The older woman simply smiled at his enthusiasm and nodded. "Of course, Teddy. Would you like to see the options we have available?"

"Yep!"

And that was how Teddy was assured that he'd be getting some dresses of his own.

When everything was considered at length, and the many successes they'd had, it was a good day. As a reward, Harry baked the biggest cake she could manage and allowed the boys to have as much as they wanted without a complaint.

* * *

"Guys, this is Brahms Heelshire. The not-dead son of the former owners who have passed on by filling their pockets with stones and then walking into a lake." And for this occasion, Brahms had put on one of his new outfits and shaved for good measure. Honestly, he looked better than she'd ever seen Sirius look in life, which meant he could pass for 'fine'.

Ron and Hermione looked a cross between welcoming of Harry's guest, and mortified by how nonchalant she was talking about someone committing suicide. The two shared a look between them before nodding along.

"Hello," said Hermione with a bit of uncertainty. "I'm Hermione Granger-Weasley. This is my husband Ronald Weasley. It's lovely to meet you."

Brahms hummed and nodded at them. "Likewise."

"Harry, you have a lot of explaining to do."

"I know."

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  **~.O.~**

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**A/N: Another is done!**

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHECK OUT MY MANY OTHER FICS! ^-^

**Author's Note:**

> CHECK OUT MY MANY OTHER FICS! ^-^


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